Chapters authored
A Deep Review on a Historical Brick Bridge in South Moravia; Reconstruction and Assessment
The paper describes a structural survey of the brick arched bridge from the 17th century located in Portz Insel near the city Mikulov—in the historic cultural landscape on the Moravian-Austrian border. The bridge is consummate engineering work, originally equipped with a wooden lifting deck, reaching a respectable length of 91.5 m and with 3.7 m. It consists of 15 semi-circular vaulted arches divided by pilasters with double sizes pyramidal edges. It fascinates by its age and it is unparalleled as to the selection of the building material and design. The basic material analysis of the physical and mechanical properties of bridge bricks (moisture, water absorption, resonant frequencies, tensile and compressive strength) were tested including the assessment of the freeze resistance of the original bricks confirming their high quality and durability. The construction was not far from sinking into oblivion until recently when the reconstruction was carried out from 2019 to 2020 and the bridge masonry has been stabilised. Thanks to the inimitable quality of the bricks the construction has survived. The reconstruction of the bridge was awarded the title Monument of the year 2020 by National Heritage Institute.
Part of the book: Applied Methods in Design and Construction of Bridges, Highways and Roads