He can't speak Mandarin. He's thin, but when he talks about bridges, his eyes shine. In June 2019, with his two "children", he won the Nobel Prize for the bridge at the Hejiang Yangtze River Bridge and Luding Dadu River Bridge in Sichuan Province. He was a child growing up beside Shudao. He knew the difficulties of Shudao. Now he has turned the natural moat of his hometown into a safe way. He said he is very happy. He is a struggling Chinese. He is Mou Tingmin, chief engineer of Sichuan Highway Design Institute.

In the 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there have been such a group of practitioners who have developed their hard skills and dedicated their youth to their work. Seventy years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, we approached them, explored the moving silhouette on the way forward of the People's Republic of China, and told stories about the struggle to draw the Chinese chapter of the new era.

In June 2019, the 36th International Bridge Congress was held. It was designed by Sichuan Highway Planning, Survey and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd. and located at Hejiang Yangtze River Bridge and Luding Dadu River Bridge in Sichuan Province. It was awarded the "George Richardson Award" and the "Gustav Lindsar Award" by the International Bridge Congress. The International Bridge Congress is held once a year and only five awards are awarded at each session. It is not easy for the two bridges representing China to win the Nobel Prize in the field of bridges at the same time.

Among them, the award of Hejiang Yangtze River Bridge symbolizes the recognition of concrete filled steel tube arch bridge, the most typical representative of independent innovation of bridge engineering in China by international bridge circles. Mou Tingmin, who presided over the design of Hejiang Yangtze River Bridge, has become the world record holder of the largest span of concrete filled steel tube arch bridge. Recently, Mu Tingmin accepted an interview and shared with us his intention and perseverance as a bridge worker.

We should dare to be the first and be realistic.

Q: The Luding Dadu River Bridge on Yakang Expressway in Sichuan and the Hejiang Yangtze River Bridge on Luyu Expressway were awarded the "George Richardson Award" and the "Gustav Lindensal Award" respectively at the 36th International Bridge Congress. What are the advantages of these two bridges?

A: we have carried out a lot of technological innovation and innovation. The main span of Hejiang Yangtze River Bridge is 530 meters. It is the largest span concrete filled steel tube arch bridge in the world. It is also a bridge type with completely independent intellectual property rights in China.

The construction difficulty of Luding Xingkang Bridge on Yakang Expressway is that there is no precedent for the construction of 1100 m span suspension bridge in 9 degree earthquake area. Moreover, the slope is steep, the earthquake intensity is high, and the geological hazards are serious. Therefore, we have made technological innovations in the seismic and wind resistance of bridges and the disaster prevention technology of bridges and slopes.

Q: What is the biggest difficulty in designing bridges?

A: Firstly, the construction fund is small. There is a saying in the construction of the western region: without construction, development cannot be achieved, and construction money is insufficient.

Secondly, the construction conditions are bad, but the cost of repairing projects of the same scale is more. This forces us to carry out technological innovation. I am a design unit. Some technological innovations can go very fast and far, but the most important thing is that they must be implemented to meet the market carrying capacity and demand. If a technology is too advanced, advanced to the construction environment or equipment can not support, nor can it achieve the design purpose, and will ignore the safety of the bridge.

The most important requirement of bridge construction is safety, and it is 100% safety. The statement that there is no probability can not be said to be 99.9% or 0.1% less.

Independent Innovation Makes China Bridge a Vocal Force in International Construction

Q: You are an expert in concrete filled steel tube bridge technology. You have designed several bridges using this technology. For example, Ganhaizi Bridge, the world's first full-steel tube concrete truss bridge. Why use this technology? What are the most significant advantages of CFST bridges?

A: Concrete filled steel tube bridge is a bridge type with China's independent intellectual property rights, which has been developed for 30 years. The first is the Wangcang Donghe River Bridge in Sichuan Province, with a main span of 115 meters.

The two most prominent advantages of concrete filled steel tube arch bridge are: first, steel tube has restraint effect on concrete, high bearing capacity, small section support, material saving and cost saving.

Secondly, steel pipe is used as temporary construction facilities to pour concrete. After completion, steel pipe and concrete are part of the structure, which reduces the cost of some temporary construction measures. These two points make concrete filled steel tube bridges have the characteristics of safety, economy, beauty and environmental protection.

In fact, 20 years ago, CFST arch bridges did not have the support of national industry specifications. Sichuan Highway Design Institute undertook the compilation of industry specifications, which provided technical support for the research and development of CFST arch bridges and CFST beam bridges.

Q: What is the level of Bridge Technology in China in the world?

A: Concrete filled steel tubular bridge technology is definitely the leading technology in the world, and has not been repaired in other countries. At the recent International Bridge Congress, I made a report on the structure and economic advantages of concrete filled steel tube bridges at the invitation of the Congress. The report lasted 25 minutes, but the time for international experts to ask and exchange questions was 1 hour, which is rare in academic exchanges, indicating that foreign countries are still interested in this technology.

Q: Which direction do you think China's bridge construction should go in the future?

A: Sustainable and circular economy is a direction of long-term bridge development. More bridges are built with less material, and this bridge has a life span. After reaching the life span, the material can be recycled. For example, steel bridges can be re-steelmaking and re-made into steel components; concrete can be made into recycled concrete and recycled.

"I'm happy to be able to work as a bridge."

Q:Nineteen years is the seventieth year of the founding of New China. Which of these seventy years has had the greatest impact on your life?

A: My hometown is in the countryside. My parents are not in the transportation industry. When I was young, I only knew about roads, but later I learned that there were roads and bridges. After working as a bridge, many of the industry's predecessors and teams have had a great impact on me. It is the industry culture that has influenced me. It has led me to the industry now and let me work. So now I'm working hard and loving this job.

There is a program called "Are you happy?" I feel happier. Firstly, it is my hobby to engage in this industry. Secondly, I have a certain income and can decently support my family. Thirdly, I am glad that everyone agrees with me about what I have done.

Q: Is there anything in your work or life that makes you think China will be better and better?

A: China will certainly get better and better. I have not hesitated about that. When I design a bridge, some experts and elders who are not very familiar with it will call you to teach and communicate their work, pointing out what they think is wrong, which makes me very touched and excited. This is often the case in our industry. This experience is better for me than for words. The older generation's sense of responsibility for work, pursuit of career, care for the younger generation, and concern for the industry, all make me very unforgettable, which makes me believe that our industry will become better and better.

Q: Please send a message to the young people engaged in bridge business.

A: It's meaningful to be engaged in bridge design and research. It's also meaningful to be engaged in bridge design and study people's life. Editor/Zhao Jing