Energy Saving in Bridge Engineering

As energy conservation becomes a significant concern of national socio-economic development, energy-saving for bridge structure is attracting more and more attentions. For the purpose of revealing energy problems and exploring energy-saving potential in bridge engineering, technical condition factors of bridge are analyzed based on the basic concept of energy, which have an influence on vehicle fuel consumption and energy problems rooted in materials consumption in bridge construction; furthermore, energy-saving measures are put forward in various aspects in bridge engineering, such as planning, design, construction and maintenance. The study shows that most energy problems in bridge engineering belong to indirect consumptions. Appropriate energy-saving measures should be taken to reduce vehicle fuel consumption and save non-renewable materials or high energy consumption materials. Moreover, energy-saving concept exists in the entire life cycle of a bridge, energy-efficient bridge engineering has a strategic significance of promoting sustainable development in highway transportation sector.