Company news
Feb 16, 2019
On June 12 local time in US, news came from the 35th International Bridge Confenerce (IBC). Xu Gongyi, Deputy Chief Engineer of China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance & Design Institute Co., Ltd (BRDI) and National Design Master engineering, stood out from the short list of outstanding people in the world and won the John A. Roebling Medal in 2018. This is the first time that Chinese people have won this honor. Master Xu has also become the youngest winner in history.
John Roebling Medal is one of the highest achievement medal in the field of bridge engineering, which is awarded by the IBC in the United States annually worldwide to the top international experts who have made great contributions to bridge technology. Mr. John A. Roebling is a German-born American civil engineer. He is the chief designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, a landmark building in New York. He is known as the pioneer of American suspension bridge in the last century. Since 1987, the medal has awarded 31 bridge experts from all over the world. Most of the medal winners are from European and American countries.
Master Xu Gongyi has been engaged in bridge design for 30 years. He has presided over the design of more than 50 super-large bridges. He is the pioneer and leader of modern suspension bridge technology in China. Many achievements have won international prizes and national prizes for scientific and technological progress. In 2006, he was awarded National Design Master. He is in charge of the design project of Shantou Bay Bridge, the pioneer of modern suspension bridge in China. The Xiling Yangtze River Bridge designed by him has first crossed the Yangtze River in one span, providing transportation guarantee for the timely closure of the Three Gorges Dam. The new structure of prestressed concrete slab stiffening girder suspension bridge is innovated. The concrete slab stiffening girder is continuously adopted by five mountainous area bridges in Guizhou Province. It sets an example for the construction of expressway bridges in mountainous areas with underdeveloped economy and difficult conditions in Western China, and achieves remarkable social and economic benefits. He presided over the re-study of steel plate stiffening girders, which enabled the bridge type of wind damaged American Tacoma Suspension Bridge which abandoned for 60 years successfully implemented in Liuzhou Hongguang Bridge, reflecting the scientific spirit of Chinese engineers to independently study and not to superstition foreign countries. He presided over the design and research of Wufengshan High-speed Railway Highway Suspension Bridge and Yangsigang Double-deck Highway Suspension Bridge, with the main span of 1092 m and 1700 m respectively, which have refreshed many records of similar bridges in the world. Xu Gongyi has the highest professional qualification of British Charted Engineer. He is Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). He was invited to compile the latest edition of the Handbook of International Bridge Engineering in the United States. His technical ability and influence have been recognized by international colleagues.
The International Bridge Conference (IBC) is an outstanding arena for bridge engineering in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. IBC is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Engineers’ society of West Pennsylvania. It aims to provide continuing education and social opportunities for people with lofty ideals in all aspects of bridge engineering.
