Chapter 29 Wooden Bridge
There is no need to explain the significance of this bridge; everyone here knows it very clearly.
Although there are some potential alternatives, such as building cargo distribution centers on both sides of the canyon and using helicopters instead of bridges to complete material transportation, or building cables to achieve material transfer, these alternatives all face a problem.
Too inefficient and too restrictive.
No alternative is as practical as building a bridge that allows direct traffic.
Without the bridge, this road, which has exhausted all the remaining engineering capabilities of human civilization, will lose at least 80% of its significance, which will seriously restrict the excavation of the Yangjiagou site.
Liang Chengdong wiped away the turbid tears from the corners of his eyes, remained silent for a long time, and then murmured: "There are so many things we need to make up for.
When it comes to bridge engineering, it really seems like haste makes waste...
Director Zhou, the only way now is to use the information left over from the peak era to train a new group of qualified technical workers and engineers from scratch."
"How long will it take?"
"We're all old now, and we can't learn quickly. Practical techniques also require repeated practice, from design to construction. To recover to the level required to build this bridge...it'll take at least three years, no less."
Three years... is too long.
Zhou Cheng asked, "Can the process be simplified further? The requirements for this bridge aren't high. It just needs to last for five years and carry a load of several hundred tons."
Compared with the bridges built during the heyday of human civilization, which could carry thousands or tens of thousands of tons and were in use for decades or even hundreds of years, Zhou Cheng's requirements were extremely low.
but……
Liang Chengdong shook his head somewhat helplessly: "What I'm talking about is the simplification."
Zhou Cheng was silent.
No one can accept that the Yangjiagou excavation project was blocked for three years because of a small bridge that was insignificant to humans at the peak of their careers.
But what if you don’t accept it?
With a heavy heart, Zhou Cheng returned to the Yangjiagou excavation site.
Looking at the people, who numbered over 3,000 but were still sparsely scattered across the huge construction site, Zhou Cheng sighed softly.
Without sufficient manpower, the site cannot be excavated quickly, and sufficient information about the Yangjiagou tribe cannot be produced. It is impossible to know whether the Moon God really communicated with the ancestors after his arrival, and it is even more impossible to know what they communicated about.
Three years from now, no one knows what the human world will look like.
At dinner time, Zhou Cheng and Liu Yu got their food together as usual and found an empty table to sit down.
Liu Yu took a bite of rice and asked with concern, "I heard something happened in the Nantushan Gorge?"
"Yes. The bridge collapsed and many people died."
Zhou Cheng sighed and recounted what had happened.
"Three years?"
Liu Yu was surprised: "We can't afford to delay that long."
"Who says it's not? But now, there's nothing we can do."
Liu Yu frowned slightly and put down her chopsticks. After a moment, she tentatively asked, "If the reinforced concrete bridge doesn't work... can we replace it with a wooden bridge?"
"Wooden bridge?"
Zhou Cheng smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Even reinforced concrete can't extend a distance of a hundred meters, let alone wood."
Liu Yu retorted, "That's not necessarily true. There's an uncle in my hometown who can build wooden bridges. He built a wooden bridge next to my hometown settlement, and it spans over 20 meters. I still remember him saying, let alone 20 meters, he could even build a 100-meter bridge."
When I was a kid, I heard him say that this craft was even included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Zhou Cheng also put down his chopsticks and his expression gradually became serious.
"A wooden bridge with a span of 100 meters? How much load can it carry? Is it difficult?"
"I don't know, but it shouldn't be difficult, right? I heard from my mother that when the wooden bridge was built, it seemed that only people who went to our settlement built it.
As for the load capacity... I used to go there a lot when I was a kid, and I often saw trucks passing through it. The load capacity should be quite high, right? "
Zhou Cheng thought about it, walked out of the cafeteria, took out his cell phone, and called Engineer Liang Chengdong.
"Hello, Engineer Liang. I'd like to ask you some questions about bridges. Since a steel bridge can't be built in the Nantushan Gorge, can we replace it with a wooden one?"
"Wooden bridge?"
Liang Chengdong's words were filled with shock. "How is this possible? How can a wooden bridge span a hundred meters? Moreover, we have trucks passing through, and each truck weighs dozens or even hundreds of tons. It's impossible, absolutely impossible."
Hearing these words, Liu Yu immediately became dissatisfied: "How is it impossible? There is a wooden bridge in my hometown settlement. Although the span is not 100 meters, it is more than 20 meters. Trucks often pass through it."
"Young man, the wooden bridge you're talking about is decorative, right? The kind with steel as the internal load-bearing structure and some decorative wood on the outside.
Although my skills are rusty and I haven't built a bridge in decades, I still know some common sense. A wooden bridge is absolutely impossible.
"Engineer Liang, I'm not trying to argue with you, but this wooden bridge is right near where my hometown is. If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself."
"I'm sorry, young lady. I'm very busy at work and I'm afraid I don't have time to go see you. Director Xiao Zhou, do you have anything else to do?"
Zhou Cheng did not answer, but thought silently for a few seconds.
If we could replace the steel bridge with a wooden bridge... then many of the problems we are currently facing would be easily solved.
In terms of materials science, there will be no need to learn any new steel manufacturing methods, build factories, or train workers.
The reason is simple. Human civilization is now in its twilight years and lacks everything except wood.
Various trees that are decades or even hundreds of years old are almost everywhere.
Engineers and skilled workers do not need to learn any more about the craftsmanship, because overall, the technical content of wooden bridges is definitely lower than that of steel bridges.
If the wooden bridge really works, doesn't it mean that we can save several years and open the road in a short time?
"Engineer Liang, please put aside the work at hand for now. Seeing is believing. Let's go to the site and take a look."
"this……"
After hesitating for a moment, Liang Chengdong said helplessly, "Okay, then go and take a look. Try to go and come back as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Cheng looked at Liu Yu and said, "Get ready. We'll leave as soon as possible."
"good!"
Liu Yu nodded vigorously: "It has been a long time since I went home to visit my parents. I just took this opportunity to visit them.
And, and…”
Her face began to blush: "It's a good opportunity to let them see you too."
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