The agro-pastoral farm of the Catholic University of Congo is located near the Village Mpangala, 43 km from Kinshasa, the capital of the country, and 9 km from the city of Kasangulu, Province of Kongo Central in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The road leading to the farm is sandy and its accessibility is difficult due to the poor state of the road.

There is a need to construct a small river crossing to facilitate vehicle access (location indicated with a green circle in the map). The crossing must have a span of 5.00 m and a width of 3.00 m, capable of supporting vehicles weighing up to 20 tons. 

Due to the local availability, consider the option of steel beams with a composite steel-concrete deck and provide a preliminary design for the following 2 conditions:

  • for available profiles HEA200, determine which is the maximum transverse spacing and so the minimum required number of primary beams;
  • selecting a transverse spacing of 1.00 m, so 4 primary beams, determine the minimum required profile in the HEA series.