A Method for Rapidly Deploying Suspended Footbridges

摘要

Suspended footbridges are lightweight structures that are frequently constructed to create permanent connections in rural parts of the world. Their low weight (compared to that of other structural types such as trusses and beams) also makes them appealing for temporary projects requiring rapid deployment using minimal labor. The objective of this paper is to present a method for rapid deployment of suspended footbridges. The method incorporates prefabricated bridge components and manual drone deployment. Bridge deployment can be conducted when only one side of a crossing is initially accessible. First, a series of bridge pre-deployment, deployment, and disassembly steps are described. Then, the details of two full-scale polyester-rope suspended footbridge prototypes constructed with the method are presented. The prototypes demonstrate that the construction method can be executed by two people and is feasible for spans up to at least 13.1 m. The presented method is versatile enough that it can be adapted for the deployment of other rope structures.