The Symposium on New Advances of Large-span Bridges over Deep Water in 2020 was convened at Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) from December 4 to 6, following the convening of Symposium on New Advances of Large-span Bridges over Deep Water in 2018 and the Symposium on New Advances of Large-span Bridges over Deep Water in 2019. The symposium was co-organized by the Department of Bridge Engineering of School of Civil Engineering (SCE), the Research Center for Long-span Bridges over Deep Water and Mao Yisheng Bridge Research Institute of SWJTU, and the Editorial Board ofAdvances in Bridge Engineering. The Symposium on New Advances of Large-span Bridges over Deep Water was initiated by Academician Qin Shunquan and convened under the direct leadership and strong support of Dean Pu Qianhui and Secretary Liu Xueyi of SCE. The symposium aims to facilitate exchanges and discussions on the new advances, new trends, new opportunities and new issues in the construction of large-span bridges over deep water.

Attendees of the symposium poses for a photo

The nine invited and accredited experts of the symposium were Xiong Guobin, Professor-Level Senior Engineer and Chairman of Sichuan Road and Bridge Group Co., Ltd., Professor Xiang Yiqiang of Zhejiang University, Yang Huaizhi, Senior-Rank Engineer and Deputy Director of Equipment Safety Department of Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway Co., Ltd., Professor Li Qiao of SWJTU, Chen Lie, Senior-Rank Engineer and Deputy Chief Engineer of China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., Peng Yuancheng, Senior-Rank Engineer and Chief Expert of CCCC Second Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., Li Juntang, Professor-Level Senior Engineer and Deputy Chief Engineer of China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd., Professor Zhang Nan of Beijing Jiaotong University, and Yan Aiguo, Professor-Level Senior Engineer and Chief Engineer of Bridge Design and Research Institute of China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd..

The number of participants amounted to more than 200 in total. Specifically, it attracted about 120 representatives from large domestic enterprises involving bridge engineering and research institutes. The enterprises included the China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd., China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance and Design Institute Co.,Ltd., China Railway Design Corporation, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd., Sichuan Road and Bridge Group Co., Ltd., Sichuan Highway Planning, Survey, Design and Research Institute Ltd., CCCC First Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., CCCC Second Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd., Nuclear Industry Southwest Geotechnical Investigation and Design Institute Co.,Ltd., Sichuan Jiao Tou Construction Engineering Group Ltd., and GERB (Qingdao) Vibration Control Co.,Ltd., Road and Bridge Branch of China MCC5 Group Corp. Ltd. and so on. The research institutes involved in Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS, Tongji University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Southeast University, Chongqing University, Chang''an University, Hebei University of Technology, Nanjing Tech University, East China Jiaotong University, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhengzhou University, China University of Mining and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chengdu University of Technology, Hunan University of Science, Technology and Chengdu University and so on. Besides, nearly 50 teachers and over 40 students pursuing their master''s or doctoral degrees from the Department of Bridge Engineering of SWJTU attended the symposium.

The opening ceremony was held at 8:30 on December 5, at the Civil Engineering Building of SWJTU. Professor Li Yongle, head of the Department of Bridge Engineering of SWJTU, hosted the opening ceremony and the appointment ceremony of part-time professors of SWJTU. Professor He Chuan, Vice-president of SWJTU, and Professor Pu Qianhui, Dean of SCE, delivered speeches successively. Professor Li Yongle introduced the records of three part-time professors, Xiong Guobin, Yang Huaizhi, and Yan Aiguo in turn. Then, Vice-president He Chuan put school badges on the three part-time professors and presented them with appointment letters for part-time professors of SWJTU respectively.

Vice-president H Chuan delivers a speech

Dean Pu Qianhui delivers a speech

Vice-president He Chuan, Dean Pu Qianhui and three part-time professors pose for a photo at the appointment ceremony

The Symposium Report officially started at 9:00 on December 5. First of all, Professor Li Yadong and Deputy General Manager Huang Yanqing presided over the Symposium Report (I). Four invited and accredited experts, Xiong Guobin, Xiang Yiqiang, Yang Huaizhi and Li Qiao, presented reports at the symposium on their respective topics ofInnovation in Construction of Long-span Bridges over Deep Water Reservoir,Theoretical Framework and Application of Whole Life Cycle Design for Submerged Floating Tunnel,Thoughts on Intractable Issues and Countermeasures for Maintenance and Repair in High-speed Railway BridgesandState-Process Correlation Principle of Structures.

Xiong Guobin, Professor-Level Senior Engineer, gives a presentation

Professor Xiang Yiqiang gives a presentation

Yang Huaizhi, Senior-Rank Engineer, makes a presentation

Professor Li Qiao makes a presentation

After the tea break, Professor Liao Haili, and Tian Bo, Professor-Level Senior Engineer, presided over the Symposium Report (II). Five invited and accredited experts, Chen Lie, Peng Yuancheng, Li Juntang, Zhang Nan, Yan Aiguo, presented reports at the symposium on their respective topics ofDesign of High-speed Railway Bridges with Speed of 400 km/h,Innovative Practice of Bridge Structures,Developments and Challenges of Deep Water Foundations for Bridges,Research on Coupling Analysis and Evaluation Criteria of Train and Bridge Based on Random Vibration PrincipleandApplication of Asymmetrical Arch Bridge Engineering in Mountainous Railway.

Chen Lie, Senior-Rank Engineer, makes a presentation

Peng Yuancheng, Senior-Rank Engineer, makes a presentation

Li Juntang, Professor-Level Senior Engineer, makes a presentation

Professor Zhang Nan makes a presentation

Yan Aiguo, Professor-Level Senior Engineer, makes a presentation

A total of 39 reports had been presented in sub-venues A, B and C for group report of the symposium by 14:00 on December 5, covering researches on wind and earthquake resistance and disaster prevention of bridges, mechanical properties, material properties, temperature properties, optimal designs and experiment of structures and so on. More than ten review experts of the site asked questions, exchanged views and held discussions about each report, which drove the atmosphere warm and made the participants benefit a lot.

The closing ceremony was held in the Civil Engineering Building of SWJTU at 17:35 on December 5 and presided over by Professor Li Xiaozhen, Deputy Head of the Department of Bridge Engineering. Professor Li Yadong, Deputy Director of the Faculty Board of the Department of Bridge Engineering and Chairman of the Board of Directors ofAdvances in Bridge Engineering, introduced the running principles and the Board Symposium onAdvances in Bridge Engineering. Hu Yingkui, Standing Associate Editors-in-Chief of theJournal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, shared the experience of running the journal.

The successful convening of this symposium further strengthened the academic exchanges between SWJTU and other colleges and universities on the discipline of bridge engineering, and promoted the cooperation between SWJTU and enterprises.

Site of the Symposium