RESEARCH
RESEARCH
In the 1950s, Docent Emeritus Per Tveit had an idea for the Network Arch Bridge. More than 100 bridges constructed in more than 20 countries proves that it was an excellent idea. The fact that the 82-year-old still travels the world giving lectures about the world’s most slender Arch Bridge pays tribute to a scholar of extraordinary persistence and dedication. Tveit started as a docent at the computer science and civil engineering department at the old Agder Regional College in 1985. Fifteen years after retirement, Tveit goes to work seven days a week. Peers and colleagues in more than 50 countries have had the pleasure of listening to Tveit’s lectures, making him an internationally renowned academic. The Network Arch Bridge The construction concept is called Network Arch, an English name chosen by Tveit himself. Accepted by his peers, it is a term that indicates the concept of the bridge. - The principle of crossing hangers enables a better weight distribution when traffic is heavy. Moreover, the construction requires less steel
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and concrete, making it cost-efficient. Tveit’s office on campus reveals a long history of research and commitment to his Network Arch Bridge. Sitting amongst stacks of literature and collections of documents accumulated over the decades, Tveit spends most of his time in front of the computer planning his next lecture on the increasingly popular bridge. He is currently preparing a lecture for architect and engineering students at NTNU. He is a busy man. - Yes, I have a lot on my plate, and I’m not getting any younger, so I need to spend my time wisely. I used to work from 7:00 AM4:00 PM. Nowadays I go home a bit earlier. On Saturdays and Sundays, he goes home around midday.
Slender During 15 years of retirement and full-time commitment to the Network Arch Bridge, Tveit has witnessed his bridge undergo changes. - I have beaten my own record of designing the world’s most slender Arch Bridge three times. The slenderness of an arch bridge is determined by the span divided by the sum of the cross-sectional height of the lower chord and the thickness of the arch, he explains. The first network arch was constructed in Steinkjer and opened in 1963, followed by Bolstadstraumen Bridge the same year, which was the world record holder for a long time. A bridge in New Zealand then pushed Bolstadstraumen Bridge down to second place in 2008. In 2010, the world record is yet again back in Norway, bridging the Brandangersund in Sogn, spanning 220 meters. - A chief executive for a Chinese consultancy firm recently asked if the Brandanger Bridge was a footbridge. - Tveit answered that it is a bridge for two Polish trailers with overload. Then Tveit was invited to China to give an in-depth presentation. I made that trip this past summer, and now we are going to write an article in Chinese to be published online, reveals Tveit. It is extremely rewarding when my bridge proves useful to people. The Germans have been very interested in network arches since 1997. In Japan, network arches are quite frequently used, and lately many network arches have been built in the U.S.A.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
A Scholar on a Narrow Path
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