ABSTRACT

Construction of electric arc welded railway bridges developed in France with the work of Chief Engineer Louis Eugène Cambournac (1886–1973) within the Compagnie des Chemins de fer du Nord from 1935 onwards, then within the SNCF (French Railways) from 1938. Under the impetus of this Chief Engineer, about ten railway bridges were built, including only one truss bridge, the Joncherolles Bridge, put into service on 15 May 1939. During this period, the electric arc welding process was used to reinforce riveted bridges not strong enough to support the increase in loads and frequency of railway traffic. It was also used for repairing corroded riveted railway bridges, and occasionally following destructions that occurred during the Second World War. This study shows, in this transition period, how the electric arc welding process quickly – but quite lately – became established for the construction of French railway bridges, replacing the hot riveting process.