Pont Louis-Vicat - Souillac, Lot, FRA
N 44° 52.980 E 001° 29.129
31T E 380389 N 4971068
First modern use of rediscovered "Roman Cement" by Louis-Joseph Vicat in 1812 to build this bridge over the Dordogne at Souillac, Departément Lot in France.
Waymark Code: WM13KA0
Location: Occitanie, France
Date Posted: 12/30/2020
Views: 3
Louis-Joseph Vicat (born March 31, 1786 in Nevers, Nièvre, Bourgogne; † April 10, 1861 in Grenoble, Isère) was a French engineer who invented the artificial hydraulic lime, rediscovered the "Roman cement" and with his Work laid the foundations for the development of cement and lime mortar. In addition, he carried out preparatory work on the air-jet spinning process, later perfected by John Augustus Roebling, for the manufacture of suspension cables for suspension bridges.
After visiting the École Centrale in Grenoble, he joined the Navy in Toulon at the age of 16, but soon returned to Grenoble. In 1804 he began his studies at the École polytechnique and in 1806 moved to the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. In 1809 he became a second class engineer in Périgueux, where he designed and carried out his first road project, which was initially criticized as daring, until it was discovered that it followed the route of a previously unknown Roman aqueduct. In 1812 he was sent to Souillac to build the 180 m long bridge over the Dordogne, an occasionally raging river, which made it possible to expect great difficulties in the foundation of the bridge piers. Due to financial difficulties, construction lasted until 1822.
Simultaneously with his transfer to Souillac, he began his experiments with hydraulic limes in order to find a binding agent that would harden faster than the previously common mixtures of lime, ground bricks and iron slag. He did a lot of experimental research on cements, concrete and mortars, during which he invented artificial lime. In 1817 he published his results first in the Annales de chimie and in 1818 in his book Experimental Investigations on Building Limes, Concrete and Ordinary Mortar. This work caused quite a stir. The Académie des sciences commissioned three experts, MM. Prony, Gay-Lussac and Girard, to carry out a review, the results of which they presented in the following year with extremely positive ratings. Vicat thus laid the foundations for an understanding of both cement and lime mortar. After successfully demonstrating a number of tests, the Roads and Bridge Construction Commission approved the use of hydraulic lime on the Souillac bridge and the corresponding calculations for the bridge's foundations.
Vicat was also one of the first to observe and follow the periodic opening and closing of the joints on the clamped arches as a function of the temperature on the Dordogne bridge and thus gave impetus for the further development of the structure of the bridge arches.
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