Megalithic stone beam bridges of ancient China reach the limits of strength and challenge size effect in granite

In all ancient monuments, stone beams and architraves have unsupported spans that seldom reach 7 m, while ordinary spans are usually much less. These structural elements were and still are believed to be prone to failure, so that several relieving systems (arches, chambers, gaps) were adopted through history to prevent collapse. The perception that stone beams could not exceed a certain span is coherent with the so-called size-effect theory of rock and concrete, which predicts that large elements are proportionally weaker than small ones. While the rest of the world started using architectural design to avoid these problems, in the Fujian region of China (near Xiamen) from the XI to the XII century megalithic stone beam bridges with spans of up to 21 m were being built. These bridges have resisted over the centuries. A spectacular example of these bridges, tending to disprove the size-effect theory and challenging all previous ancient constructions, is the Jiangdong bridge, of which only a part survives, but which should be restored, preserved, and declared human heritage monument. © 2016 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.