1933 to 1937, Mao Yisheng was the director of Qiantang river bridge engineering department, and presided over the construction of the first modern bridge with both highway and railway functions in China-"Qiantang river bridge". He solved the technical problems in bridge construction by "water injection method", "caisson method" and "floating method". Since then, Mao Yisheng has traveled all over the country, and his name has remained all over the country with the newly-built bridge. After five years' efforts, Mao Yisheng finally built the modern Qiantang River Bridge. September 26th is the 74th anniversary of the completion and opening of Qiantang River Bridge.
Qiantang River Bridge 1934 started. Zhejiang-jiangxi railway was under construction at that time. In order to connect the Shanghai-Hangzhou railway, a bridge must be built on the Qiantang River. Qiantang River is a famous dangerous river with extremely complicated hydrogeological conditions. Its water potential is not only affected by the upstream flash floods, but also restricted by the downstream tidal fluctuations. In case of typhoon, the river is often rough. The quicksand at the bottom of Qiantang River is 4 1 m thick and unfathomable, and is known as the "bottomless Qiantang River". Therefore, there is a folk proverb that it is impossible to bridge the Qiantang River, and the engineering and technical circles also think that it is very difficult to bridge the Qiantang River. When Mr. Mao Yisheng was a teenager, he was determined to build a bridge, but later he lost to the United States. He specialized in bridges at Cornell University and Carnegie Mellon University College of Technology, and received his doctorate. He was sad to see that all the steel bridges on the rivers of the motherland were built by foreigners. He was determined to live up to the expectations of the people of China and build his own bridge in China. So he faced the difficulties and was appointed as the director of the bridge engineering department. He asked Luo Ying, a classmate of Cornell University, to be the chief engineer, and he was determined to win.
The first difficulty in building a bridge is piling. In order to stabilize the bridge foundation, it is necessary to drive 1440 piles in 9 piers, which pass through the sediment with a thickness of 4 1 m and stand on the stone layer. The sand layer is thick and hard, so it can't go down lightly, but it is broken when it is heavy. Inspired by watering flowerpots to flush the soil out of small holes, Mao Yisheng adopted the "water jet method" of pumping water on thick and hard sediment to punch deep holes and then piling, and only 1 pile was driven day and night, which greatly accelerated the construction progress. The second difficulty in bridge construction is that the water flow is fast and the construction is difficult. Mao Yisheng invented the "caisson method", that is, the mouth of a box made of reinforced concrete sinks into the water, covers it at the bottom of the river, and then uses high-pressure air to squeeze out the water in the box. Workers dig sand in the box, so that caissons and stakes gradually merge into one. Build a dock on a caisson. It is not easy to place caissons. At the beginning, a caisson was washed downstream by the river, pushed upstream by the tide and scurried up and down. Later, the 3-ton iron anchor was changed to 10 ton, and the caisson problem was solved. The third difficulty is to erect steel beams. Mao Yisheng adopts the "floating method" which skillfully uses natural forces. The steel beam is transported between the two piers by boat at high tide, and falls on the two piers at low tide, which saves labor and time and greatly speeds up the progress.
Qiantang River Bridge is a bridge that has been baptized by War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. At the end of the bridge construction, the war of resistance between Songhu and Shanghai was tight, and Japanese planes often bombed. On one occasion, Mao Yisheng was discussing problems with several engineers and supervisors in the caisson of Pier 6, and suddenly all the lights in the caisson went out. It turned out that the lights on the construction site were turned off because of the Japanese plane bombing. Despite the enemy's bombing, Qiantang River Bridge was finally completed and opened to traffic on September 26th 1937.
After the completion of Qiantang River Bridge, it has made outstanding contributions to War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The inscription on the bridge tablet records this tragic historical fact: "When War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out, railways and highways were opened to traffic day and night under the bombardment of enemy planes. There are countless vehicles to support the Sino-Japanese War and rush to transport materials, and hundreds of thousands of them are waiting to cross the river. In the later stage of construction, knowing that the war situation was unfavorable, the explosive was buried with the five-hole steel beam because empty holes were reserved on the pier which was the most difficult to repair. It was not until Hangzhou was neglected to guard and the enemy rode near that it was determined to detonate on 19371February 23rd. At that time, Mr. Wang left "a sudden change in the wind and cloud, breaking the bridge and breaking the road, the lack of fire in the five elements really brought fire, and the bridge was not restored." "Swear, bring your own drawings and materials, and turn to the rear." In order to stop the enemy, Mao Yisheng was ordered to blow up the bridge he built, which was a heroic act. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Mao Yisheng fulfilled his oath and presided over the restoration of the bridge. Mr Mao Yisheng has been in charge of building, bombing and repairing bridges. Qiantang River Bridge was built in the anti-Japanese bonfire and regenerated in the world of peaceful construction. He not only wrote an epic page in the Chinese nation's struggle against foreign invaders, but also played an important role in the country's economic construction. He connected the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway with zhejiang-jiangxi railway and turned Qiantang River from a moat into a thoroughfare. Since it was opened to traffic for 65 years, he has made immortal contributions to the development of transportation and the prosperity of local economy in China.
Qiantang River Bridge is not only a milestone in the history of Chinese bridge construction, but also the cradle of Chinese bridge engineers. Mr. Mao Yisheng turned the construction site into a school, absorbed a large number of students majoring in civil engineering to participate in engineering practice, and trained a number of bridge engineering talents for the country. Some responsible persons of some important bridge projects in China, such as Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, have all experienced the baptism of Qiantang River Bridge construction.
Qiantang River Bridge has demonstrated to the whole world the intelligence of China's scientific and technological workers and the ability of the Chinese nation to stand on its own feet among the nations of the world. The great patriotism, pioneering spirit of scientific and technological innovation, struggling spirit of overcoming all difficulties and obstacles, and enterprising spirit shown by the pioneers of bridge engineering in China in the construction of Qiantang River Bridge will always be valuable spiritual wealth that inspires us to make unremitting efforts for the prosperity and strength of the motherland.
Member of Technical Advisory Committee of Yangtze River Bridge
From 1955 to 1957, Mao Yisheng was the chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, and he accepted the task of building the first Yangtze River Bridge in China. 1September, 1955, the bridge was officially started and completed on September 25th, 1957, one year and three months ahead of schedule. 19571June15th, the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge was opened to traffic. Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge is a double-deck steel truss bridge for highway and railway. The upper floor is a highway bridge with a width of 22.5 meters, of which the roadway width is 18 meters; The lower floor is a railway bridge with a width of 18m. The length of the main bridge is1155.5m, and the total length is1670.4m together with the highway approach bridges at both ends. The bridge connects Jing-Han Railway and Yue-Han Railway, becoming the traffic artery running through the north and south of China, connecting the three towns of Wuhan into a whole, and ensuring the integration of the north-south railway and highway network in China.
Participate in reviewing the structural design of the Great Hall of the People.
When the Great Hall of the People was built in Beijing from 65438 to 0958, Premier Zhou Enlai pointed out: "Mao Yisheng needs to sign the guarantee." Party and state leaders have great trust in Mao Yisheng, and Mao Yisheng is extremely responsible for the Party's work. He made a comprehensive review and accounting of the structural design of the Great Hall of the People, and finally signed it.
Literary Literacy of Bridge Architecture
Mao Yisheng studied, built and wrote bridges all his life. Published more than 200 articles in Chinese and foreign newspapers and periodicals. He presided over the compilation of "Technical History of Ancient Bridges in China" and "Bridges in China-From Ancient Times to the Present" (in Japanese, English, French, German and Spanish). He is the author of Qiantang River Bridge, Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, Selected Works of Popular Science Creation in Mao Yisheng (I and II), Works of Mao Yisheng, Old Bridge and New Bridge in China, etc.
He devoted his life to bridge construction.
Mao Yisheng studied, built and wrote bridges all his life. Published more than 200 articles in Chinese and foreign newspapers and periodicals. From 1955 to 1957, Mao Yisheng was the chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, and he accepted the task of building the first Yangtze River Bridge in China. 1September 1955, the bridge was officially started and completed on September 25, 1957, two years ahead of schedule. 19571June15th, the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge was opened to traffic.