Bridges are a critical element of the transport network. In case of neglected maintenance, war conflict or natural disaster, they may be damaged or destroyed. An alternative solution in the form of a detour is mostly feasible only in the case of ground communication. But even in this case, it can be a very difficult and lengthy solution. Therefore, temporary bridges are often used to replace the permanent bridge structure for a certain time. The history of temporary bridges is essentially as old as that of permanent bridges. The first patented temporary bridge was the Eifel Bridge, which had a span of up to 60.0 m in 1888. Before the Second World War, the most widespread structures were the German S-bridge with spans of up to 15.0 m, Herbert-brücke with a span of up to 25.0 m and the English Bailey bridge system. In the post-war era, the ŽM 60 temporary bridge was designed as a universal bridge structure, which was to serve to temporarily bridge obstacles of medium and long spans. As standard, it was to serve as a railway bridge with a span of up to 60.0 m and as a road bridge with a span of 84.0 m. The task of the study published in this paper is to approach the possibilities of deploying the ŽM 60 bridge at present in compliance with the requirements arising from currently applicable standards and regulations.

Modern construction requirements for building structures are currently focused on reducing the time required for construction, dealing with the lack of qualified human resources and ensuring comprehensive construction work quality. The problems mentioned above of today’s construction industry are significantly reduced by modern prefabrication and the efficient use of the most common building materials—steel and concrete. Critical components of such construction systems are their joints. Currently, there are many different types of joints of precast concrete structural elements. Integral parts of these joints are the various anchorages. For connecting load-bearing components, cast-in-place anchor systems are preferred to post-installed ones. The appropriate design of this small but crucial structural component is a complicated engineering issue in some cases. The finite element method (FEM) represents a practical opportunity to design and analyze anchorage systems in detail. A detailed numerical study based on an experimental program was performed to understand cast-in-place anchors’ real behavior and clarify some of the parameters of their design. This paper explains the creation of a numerical model, compares the FEM model with the performed experiments and presents the interesting results of the performed parametric study.

In addition to traditional building materials, such as steel and concrete, wood has been gaining increasing prominence in recent years. In the past, the use of wood was limited due to its susceptibility to damage by fungi, insects, and temperature. These shortcomings were gradually eliminated as the quality of wood processing increased and thanks to modern high-quality insulating and protective materials. The return to the utilisation of this natural building material was also supported by the development of new wood-based materials, such as glued laminated wood, and new types of mechanical fasteners, as well as by the introduction of new design methods provided in the Eurocodes. Within this context, this paper focuses on using wood in transport infrastructure, especially as the basic material for footbridges and small road bridges. Combined timber–steel bridges emerge as a very effective type of superstructure in contemporary road bridges and footbridges, especially in areas with natural exposure. Usually, wood is used for the main bridge girders, while steel is preferred for bridge deck elements—stringers and cross-girders. The results of this parametric study offer optimal structural solutions for footbridges with spans of 12.0–24.0 m, reflecting satisfactory static and dynamic footbridge behaviour. Particular attention is paid to a problematic structural detail—the connection between the steel cross-girder and the timber main girder. Firstly, this connection’s characteristics were measured experimentally using nine laboratory samples made of two glued laminated timber blocks, simulating main girders connected with a hot-rolled steel cross-girder. The connection was prepared in three variants, with different heights of the end plates and different numbers of bolts. Subsequently, these characteristics were computed using two numerical FEM models. The first model was created using SCIA Engineer software with a combination of shell and beam finite elements. The second, more sophisticated model was created in the ANSYS software environment using 3D finite elements, allowing us to better take into account the plasticity and orthotropic properties of wood and the points of contact between the individual members. Finally, the experimental results produced by sample testing in the laboratory were compared to the outputs of FEM numerical studies.