GLASS BRIDGE

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

INTRODUTION

 Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is a bridge in Zhangjiajie, China, above

the Wulingyuan area.
 The bridge, built as an attraction for tourists, is glass- bottomed
and is transparent.
 It is opened to the public on August 20, 2016, measures 430
metres in total length and 6 metres in breadth and suspended
about 260 meters above the ground.
 It is one of the longest and tallest glass bottomed bridge in the
world.
 History

 The bridge is made of a steel frame with more than 120 glass panels, Each
of these panels is 3-layered and is a 2-inch thick slab of tempered glass.
 There is a provision for making a 265 metre bungee jump. This is
considered to be highest such jump in the world.

Architect : Professor Haim Dotan, architects and Urban Designers

Installer : He’nan Chengjian Decoration Engineer co., Ltd
Laminators : He’nan Fuxin Glass Co., Ltd
Developer/Owner : Zhangjajie Grand Canyon Tourism Management co.,
Ltd
Structural Engineer : BRDI China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance &
Design institute co., Ltd
General data

 Cost : $3.4 million

 Bridge height : 300 meters
 Bungee jumping height : 280 meters
 Bridge length : 385 meters
 Bridge width : 6.0 meters
 Maximum Occupancy : 800 people at one time
 Physical Weight : 2200 tons
 Design Method

Glass panels are set into its walkway

giving visitors vertigo- including views
Photo opportunities of the canyon
below.
Steel beams support the structural
glass plates, which Tel Aviv- based
dotan used to make the bridge as
invisible.
The glass bridge was designed to
be as invisible as possible- a white
bridge disappearing into the clouds.
Bridge Structure

 To achieve the architectural goal of integrating the bridge

into nature and minimizing the height of beams, a girder
structure was designed with height of 0.6 meter and the
span- Hight ratio reaches 625 (375/0.6).
 The girder is constructed of two side steel longitudinal
beams and transverse cross beams. It is composite of
structural steel plate forms and concrete, with glass
infills, stainless steel handrails, and with side hanging stay
cables resembling “butterfly” wings.
 Challenges

Glass
 The bridge is composed of typical
large size glass panels, 3 meters x 4
meters laminated glass,
 50 mm thick, composed of 3 layers
of 16 mm glass with 2 layer of SGP
film in between.
 The glass was tested for safety
under extreme heavy loads (40 tons
on a 3x4 meter panel)
 The glass is iron free, 100% clear
glass (ultra-clear glass)
Wind
 The structure was designed to guarantee the
safety and to minimize the structural response in
strong wind. Hence, the bridge simulation was
tested for 6 months in the wind testing laboratory
at Human University in Changsha, with wind
velocity testing reaching 56m/s, or 201.6km per
hour.
 Extensive engineering studies and tests were
conducted : aero elasticity, wind velocities,
fluttering analysis, gravitational stiffness,
vibrations, dynamic analysis, were devised to
ensure that in the structural design for wind
resistance.
Closure and Reopening

On September 2, 2016, just 13 days after the bridge was

opened, the authorities put out a notice saying that they are
closing the bridge due to overwhelming visitor traffic. THE
bridge, designed to visited by 8000 people per day, had
reportedly attracted more than 80000 visitors per day. The
authorities said that the government decided to suspend
operations due to the “urgency to improve and update” the
attraction, including its car parks, ticket-booking system,
and customer service . The bridge reopened on September
30, 2016.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY