Amazing carbon fiber bridge

Carbon fiber has long held allure as the new super-material that could be used in building all sorts of new mechanical structures.  Carbon fiber is incredible stiff, very light, and can withstand remarkable tensile forces and high temperatures.  All of these factors make it highly sought-after for engineering projects--particularly where size and weight are a concern.  Projects that were simply impossible using steel can now be done with (relative) ease.

Now, companies are looking to use carbon fiber to build new bridges.  A carbon fiber arch tube can have incredible properties--such as a tube that is 43 feet long and 12 inches in diameter, yet only 200 pounds.  A mere fifteen of these are needed to support a medium-sized bridge--making the materials far more transportable than steel ever could be.

While the carbon fiber arches unfortunately can't be readily formed on-site, they are still easy to transport in and can usher in a new era in bridge design--completely different from anything that civil engineers have managed thus far.

Also amazing is a two-foot-long carbon-fiber and aluminum bridge made for a science competition with some incredible characteristics.  It weighed less than three pounds, yet was able to support nearly 9,000 pounds in added load.

The power of carbon fiber is truly nearly limitless.