circular economy in WorldWar II : about modularity, versatility, simplicity, interchangeability, standardization and above all: a clever design to make constructions in a circular way.

1. BAILEY BRIDGES
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
IN WORLD WAR II
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Whenever in history there was
an issue of urgency, creativity
was needed and often a
circular approach was the
answer.
In 1940 in England, Donald
Coleman Bailey invented the
portable truss bridge.

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The bridges were used to carry
troops, tanks, arms over rivers and
gorges, e.g. at the allied landings
in Normandy.
It is clear that the speed of
construction (and its simplicity)
was crucial: some of the bridges
had to be mounted under war fire.

4. www.blieberg.euIt’s design had to be a
“one size fits all”- solution, since
it was not obvious where exactly
the bridges had to be built.
The key-elements are the
supportive side panels on both
sides of the bridge:
a steel lattice framework of
cross-braced rectangles, 3m
long, 1.5m high, weighing only
260 kg (so the job could be done
by 6 soldiers and a hammer).
Modularity as a characteristic of a
circular economy

5. www.blieberg.euSince the design of these panels
was simple enough, standard,
and completely interchangeable,
they could be made in factories
all over England (more than 500
did so during World War II ) .
Interchangeability and
standardisation as a characteristic
of a circular economy

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The assembly of the
prefabricated bridge
components did not require any
special equipment, but could be
assembled in a few hours by
merely manpower.

7. www.blieberg.euAs soldiers are no skilled
workers, the design had to be
easy-to-build. The panels were
connected, the next behind the
previous, by hammering pins
into the interlocking male and
female lugs. The floor of the
bridge (the roadbed) is formed
by steel transoms, stringers and
plates, connecting the panels on
both sides. Simplicity as a characteristic of a
circular economy

8. www.blieberg.euBailey’s bridge construction
could be carried out without
any buttresses, scaffolding or
cranes, by using
the cantilever method

9. www.blieberg.euthe completed bridge sections
were pushed forward over
rollers on the bridgehead, across
the gap, by merely manpower or
by a truck.
A clever design is a first step in,
and a key-factor of a circular
economy

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All bridges were composed of
only one key-element, despite
the enormous variation in the
spans to be made and the
weight to be carried.
Depending on the situation and
the required strength, the
elements were bolted in a
double or triple row; and/or they
were stacked vertically upon
each other. Versatility as a characteristic of a
circular economy

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All these advantages proved to
be a key factor in the victory,
allowing troops to advance
quickly.
The invention can be seen as
one of the early circular
construction solutions.
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12. It surely was not an item in the
construction of the bridge in
wartime, but the no nonsense
design is of a delicate and
ephemeral quality.
Aesthetics do play a role in
giving buildings a long life. And
this is what circularity in the
design and construction is about.
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13. Epilogue:
Even today, bailey bridges are
used in emergency situations:
e.g. the construction in merely 8
days of the Lei Shen Shan
Hospital (China), to beat covid19
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kris@blieberg.eu
image credits
1. erik dullaart
2. nachoom assis, CC BY-SA 4.0
3. nicolas janberg structurae
4. kathleen lanclus, CC BY 4.0
5. New china