| Josef Melan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1854 |
| Died | 1941 |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Work | |
| Significant projects | Dragon Bridge |
Josef Melan (1854–1941) was an Austrian engineer.[1][2][3] He is regarded as one of the most important pioneers of reinforced concrete bridge-building at the end of the 19th century.[4] Josef Melan is credited as the inventor of the Melan System, a method for the construction of reinforced bridges.[4] Melan System was different from reinforced bridges built, because Melan did not build iron bars into the reinforced concrete bridge structure, but used rigid truss arches made of iron.[4] Melan became famous in 1898 when he built after building a 42.4 m bridge with a very shallow arch in Steyr[4] At that time, this was the largest reinforced concrete bridge in the world.[4] He also built the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana.[4]