Jm De Zafra And The Origins Of Reinforced Concrete Truss Bridges In Spain

Reinforced concrete truss bridges were frequently built in Spain during the first third of the 20th century. Its importance was largely due to the fact its creator and main advocate, the Spanish civil engineer Juan Manuel de Zafra, was highly regarded as one of the most important reinforced concrete designers.In 1907, J.M. de Zafra created an original design using triangular reinforced concrete girders. It was used for the first time in the bridge over the Velez river (belonging to a railway in Malaga, in the south of Spain). This bridge immediately rose itself as the archetype of the typology.This paper focuses on the structural and constructive criteria applied in this bridge, which still remains as one of the most significant works of Spanish Civil Engineering of the 20th century.