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History in the Making: the San Michele Bridge and Colorificio Veneziani Francesco Cavinato Colorificio Zetagì Srl, Olmo di Creazzo (Vicenza) – Italy
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©wikipedia
Figure 1 – Eng. Jules Rӧthlisberger was well known for his steel structures.
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N.30 - 2019 JUNE - ipcm® Protective Coatings
f.cavinato@zetagi.it
hen speaking of maintenance of steel
Historical background
structures, we normally refer to objects that
The project was entrusted to Swiss engineer Jules
are almost at the end of their so-called “service
Rӧthlisberger (Fig. 1), graduated at the Polytechnic
life”. Especially for public structures, only recently
of Zurich and known as a talented designer of steel
have experts tried to define such time period: let us
Bridges (for instance, he designed the Kirchenfeld
think, for example, of the rebuilding of the Morandi
Bridge in Bern, Switzerland). Società Nazionale
Bridge in Genoa, which could have a service life
Officine di Savigliano (Turin, Italy) built the San
of over one hundred years. In this article, we will
Michele Bridge with about 500 workers and a
discuss a historical structure: the San Michele
cost of 2,000,000 Lire (the old Italian currency),
Bridge in Calusco d’Adda (Bergamo, Italy), also
completing the job in just two years in order to
called Rӧthlisberger Bridge after the Swiss engineer
connect the neighbouring towns of Calusco and
who designed it. This road and railway Bridge,
Paderno d’Adda. The structure was entirely riveted
built in just two years between 1887 and 1889,
and free of welds and it required 2500 tonnes of
remained in operation until September 2018 (ref.
iron and 110 tonnes of cast iron (Fig. 2). The bridge,
Opening photo).
which extends for a total length of 266 m at a