Short Span Steel Bridges 
Barth Named Recipient of 2023 AISI Market Development Industry Leadership Award
Photo: Karl Barth, Ph.D. (at right) accepts the “2023 Market Development Industry Leadership Award” from AISI Chairman Lourenco Goncalves (left) and AISI President and CEO Kevin Dempsey (center)
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) presented Karl Barth, Ph.D., associate professor in the Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at West Virginia University, with the 2023 Market Development Industry Leadership Award to recognize the significant contributions he has made to advance the competitive use of steel in the marketplace — specifically in the construction market.
The award was presented on May 16. 2023 by Lourenco Goncalves, AISI chairman and chairman, president and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, at AISI’s General Meeting held at the InterContinental Hotel–The Wharf in Washington, DC.
Barth’s Leadership Makes Steel Competitive in Bridge Market
Dr. Barth works in the areas of steel bridge analysis, design and rating. He is a founding member of the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance’s (SSSBA) Bridge Technology Center, where he advises bridge owners and designers on how to use steel for their short span steel bridge projects. These bridges have spans up to 140 feet and comprise most of America’s bridge inventory. Dr. Barth has spent decades working successfully to simplify the design of these bridges to make them more competitive in the marketplace.
“We are pleased to recognize the leadership and commitment of Dr. Karl Barth and his enduring accomplishments in making steel the material of choice,” said Goncalves. “Karl’s achievements in simplifying the design of short span steel bridges to make them more competitive with concrete, and his leadership in the development of press-brake steel tub girder technology, have helped establish steel as a market leader for decades to come.”
Under the leadership of Dr. Karl Barth, the use of press-brake-formed steel tub girder (PBTG) bridges has increased to better compete with concrete bridges due its cost-effectiveness, modular design, ease of transport and ability to be installed by a local crew in one day.
AISI serves as the voice of the American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI’s membership is comprised of integrated and electric arc furnace steelmakers, and associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org. Follow AISI on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (@AISISteel) or Instagram.
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