Just for the brave: China creates suspension bridge made of glass

From a simple walkway in China's Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, Haohan Qiao (Chinese for “Brave Men Bridge”) has turned out to be a tourist attraction for fans of beautiful views - and who have no fear of height.

The reason, as you can see from the image above, is quite simple. Instead of metal, concrete or even wood, the suspended structure has its entire floor made of glass.

If you're not one of those who get along exactly well with height (as in the case of this one who writes you), just the thought of it can make you quite ... apprehensive, let's say so. But apparently there is nothing to worry about.

That's because, according to CNN, the suspension bridge uses a double layer of glass 25 times stronger than ordinary glass, 24 millimeters thick. "No matter how the tourists jump on the bridge we built, it will be fine, " Yang Guohong, one of the project's engineers, told the Daily Mail.

He is not alone in ensuring that the bridge is safe indeed: one of the builders involved in the project also remembers the six thick steel cables that run under the panels to give them greater strength. "The steel frame used to support and coat the glass bridge is also very strong and densely constructed, so even if a glass is broken, travelers won't cross it, " he explained.

Even so, the idea of ​​crossing a 300-meter bridge, suspended 180 meters from the ground in a huge canyon whose structure constantly sways in the wind, is definitely not for the weak (which lives up to the name of the bridge, apparently). But of course there are some who don't care at all, as the images below show well:

And this is probably the only way I would cross this bridge:

It is worth noting that the structure was not always that way, in fact. Originally, Haohan Qiao was made only of wood, but had a small section replaced by glass in 2014. Soon after, however, it was decided that it would have the wood base completely replaced so that it was the first fully-built suspension bridge. in glass.

To this end, the park employed a total of 11 employees, who changed the panels and added the support structure. “We started by building the catwalk while staying on the few supports we could find on the cliff, ” said Zhang Xianguo. Another employee said this is not that dangerous, "as long as you take a little care."

Finally, it is worth noting that this is not the first floor structure made entirely of glass. Many of the most famous can also be found in China, in the Zhangjiajie region, between glass walkways that adorn huge cliffs and one that simply "turns" out of a canyon. And yet another should come soon, with the promise of being the tallest and longest glass bridge ever made.

Via TecMundo.