On our Sina Weibo

3D-printed structure of ancient bridge made

A 3D-printed concrete bridge modeled on a 1,400-year-old stone arch bridge has been unveiled in Tianjin. About half the size of the Zhaozhou Bridge, the world's oldest open-spandrel segmental stone arch bridge, the 28-meter-long 3D structure was created by a research team from Hebei University of Technology. The Zhaozhou Bridge, also known as Anji Bridge, stands over the Xiaohe River in Zhaoxian county in Hebei province. It was built in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). "Compared with traditional engineering, 3D concrete printing technology can save around one-third of construction materials and two-thirds of human labor," said Ma Guowei, who led the project. The technology can also be applied in ancient building protection and restoration, he said.

Singer sets record for 'highest' show