French bridge engineering in Andalusia (1810-1900)

Abstract

French engineering has had a great influence in Spain since the time of The Enlightenment, when the construction of public works was organized by the state as in France, according a centralist model. Subsequently, throughout the 19th century, this presence intensified, there being a twofold increase in the transfer from France to Spain. In the field, Spanish engineers enthusiastically incorporated all of the scientific and technical knowledge created by their brilliant French colleagues (Navier, Vicat, Cauchy, Saint-Vénant,...). At the same time, the development of Spanish infrastructures (mainly railways) favoured the employment of French companies with their own engineers, who were directly in charge of building their constructions in Spain. In Andalusia, the southern region of the country, the construction of public works inspired by the French was particularly significant, especially in the field of bridges. The first constructions were built at the time of the Napoleonic invasion and a bridge in the city of Granada dates from this period. A few decades later, French technicians were responsible for the arrival of the first suspension bridges, and there were also some significant creations from the period of experimentation in bridge design, such as the Polonceau system bridge built in Seville. In the second half of the century, powerful French companies (Fives-Lille, Daydé & Pillé) took over the deployment of the main railway lines in Andalusia. The difficult topography of the area forced the construction of numerous bridges and viaducts, many of them very complex. Necessity stimulated the ingenuity of the engineers who had implemented new models previously developed in France, in the region. In the context of a transcendental period in the history of engineering, in which a profound evolution of forms and materials took place, these bridges in Andalusia were particularly important. Some of them were the first, and sometimes the only of their kind in Spain. They made a significant contribution to the dissemination of new construction techniques and to the consolidation of the use of rational design methods. The large metal viaducts, in particular, are some of the most representative works on the peninsula, both for their scale and for the application of complex engineering solutions. The aim of this article is to study this tradition of French bridge building in Andalusia, paying special attention to the design techniques and construction procedures. It also aims to raise awareness of the valuable engineering heritage that originated during this historical period.