A Structural Analysis of the First Iron Bridge of 1779 by Abraham Darby III

Abstract

This paper will research the First Iron Bridge built by Abraham Darby III in 1779 with the primary focus on conducting a structural analysis on the bridge in order to understand how the structure handles the load that are applied to it and how the forces flow through it before reaching the ground. The bridge was the first use of iron on such a large scale and changed bridge design forever. After this bridge was recognized by the engineering world it began the transition from wood and masonry bridges towards iron and then eventually steel which is used in many bridges today. The main challenges were accessing the detailed data needed as allof the primary sources are held in the UK and creating an accurate numerical model based on which the analysis was made.