The International Bridge Conference® is the pre-eminent arena for the bridge industry in North America, Europe and Asia. Celebrating its 25^th anniversary, this annual conference expects to attract 1,200 industry representatives in 2008, ranging from bridge owners and government officials to bridge designers and builders, as well as suppliers to the industry. Last year’s edition of the Conference drew participants from 15 countries and 46 U.S. states. This year, the Conference will feature booths and displays by more than 120 exhibitors representing a broad range of suppliers, as well as intensive seminars on current topics in the industry. 

A leading stainless steel supplier, Outokumpu is highly recognized in bridge design and engineering worldwide, in terms of both structural applications and aesthetic uses of stainless. The Group is the world’s foremost producer of duplex stainless steels, which are ideal for road and bridge structures offering high strength and high resistance to stress corrosion cracking along with very good resistance to uniform corrosion.  

Outokumpu’s track record in bridges includes: the Stonecutters Bridge, under construction in Hong Kong, one of the world’s longest cable-stayed bridges, where duplex stainless plates of grade 2205 provide both structural strength and appealing appearance in the upper sections of two towers, minimizing maintenance needs; the Cala Galdana Bridge in Menorca, Spain, also built with duplex 2205, the first road bridge using stainless steel in load-bearing parts; the Padre Arrupe Bridge in Bilbao, Spain, in the vicinity of the Guggenheim art museum, which was built with duplex 2304 with a special plate surface finish for enduring beauty in this aesthetically demanding environment; to provide enduring structural strength, the Brisbane Gateway Bridge upgrade, under construction, using duplex LDX 2101® concrete reinforcement bar (“rebar”), as the world’s first concrete reinforcement project using duplex stainless steel.  

Hear more about corrosion, and why and how it translates into bridge failure, as well as about stainless steel answers to fighting corrosion, from Outokumpu experts on hand at Booth #707 on the Conference exhibition floor.  

The International Bridge Conference is organized by the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania and held at Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center. For more information, go to http://www.eswp.com/bridge/exhibitors_i_z.htm.  

For information on Outokumpu’s participation, products and services, contact:

Elisabeth Torsner
Vice President – Market Development
Outokumpu Stainless, Schaumburg, IL, USA
Phone +1 765 529 0120
Email: elisabeth.torsner(at)outokumpu.com  

Read more about Outokumpu’s bridge projects at:

Brisbane Gateway Bridge upgrade:
http://www.outokumpu.com/pages/Page____38366.aspx

Stonecutters Bridge, Hong Kong:
http://www.outokumpu.com/pages/Page____36796.aspx