The social role of the bridge
Created date: 2025-06-12

bridge (cable bridge, pipe bridge, etc.) as an important part of modern construction and infrastructure, in the development of society plays a multifaceted role, mainly in the following aspects: 

1. Safeguard the safety of power and communication transmission 

Power transmission: bridge support and protection of cables, to ensure the stable transmission of power to reduce the exposed or randomly laying caused by the Short circuit, leakage and other security risks.

Communication network: carrying optical fibre, network cable and other communication cables, to ensure the efficient operation of the Internet, 5G, data centres and other modern communication infrastructure.

Industrial automation: Bridges are used to lay control lines in factories to support intelligent manufacturing and automated production.

2. Enhance the operational efficiency of cities and buildings 

Management of urban underground space: 

Bridge systems (e.g. bridges in comprehensive pipeline corridors) integrate pipelines for electricity, communication, water supply and drainage, avoiding repeated excavation of roads and reducing the phenomenon of ‘road zip’.

Improve the city's ability to resist disasters (e.g., anti-waterlogging, anti-corrosion design).

Internal wiring of buildings: 

High-rise buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, etc. rely on bridges to achieve modular laying of lines for easy maintenance and expansion.

Fire-resistant bridges can slow down the spread of fire along cables in a fire.

3. Promote green and sustainable development 

Energy saving and consumption reduction: 

Optimise cable layout to reduce energy transmission loss (e.g. use of stepped bridges to dissipate heat and reduce the risk of cable overheating).

With photovoltaic, wind power and other new energy projects cable laying needs.

Environmentally friendly materials: 

Galvanised, aluminium alloy bridge can be recycled to reduce the waste of resources.

Alternative to the traditional buried cable, reducing construction damage to the environment.

4. Support modern science and technology and industrial development 

Data Centre and Cloud Computing: 

The server cabinets of large-scale data centres rely on high-density bridges to lay tens of thousands of cables to ensure the efficiency of data transmission.

Transportation infrastructure: 

The power supply and signalling systems of subways, high-speed railways and airports need to be securely wired through bridges.

New energy industry: 

Emerging scenarios such as electric vehicle charging piles and energy storage power stations rely on bridge systems to integrate high-voltage cables.

5. Social Security and Emergency Protection 

Fire and Emergency System: 

Fire alarm lines and emergency lighting cables ensure that critical functions are not interrupted in case of disasters through fireproof bridges.

Lightning protection and anti-interference: 

The grounding design of the bridge reduces the impact of lightning strikes or electromagnetic interference on precision equipment (e.g. hospitals, laboratories).

6. Economic and Social Benefits 

Reduced Maintenance Costs: 

The standardised and modular design of the bridge shortens the construction period and reduces maintenance costs.

Job Creation: 

From manufacturing to installation and maintenance, the bridge industry chain drives a large number of skilled workers to be employed Degree of value preservation of copper metal 

Copper metal 

Precious metal 

Copper elements 

1. Value preservation characteristics of copper 

Industrial demand support: 

Copper is the core raw material for electrical, construction, new energy (e.g. electric car, photovoltaic), and long-term demand is stable. The global green energy transition (e.g. power grid renovation, renewable energy) will further boost copper demand, resulting in price support.

Anti-inflationary attributes: 

Copper, similar to gold, has commodity attributes and prices tend to rise during inflationary cycles, and can be used as one of the tools to hedge against currency devaluation.

Limited supply: 

Copper mining cycle is long and the investment is large, new capacity is limited, while declining grades and environmental restrictions (such as the policies of the main producing countries such as Chile and Peru) may constrain supply.

2. Risk factors affecting the ability to retain value 

Economic cycle sensitivity: 

Copper prices are highly correlated with the global economy (particularly Chinese infrastructure and real estate). In an economic downturn, a decline in industrial demand could lead to a fall in prices (e.g. copper prices fell during the 2008 financial crisis).

Threat of substitution: 

Aluminium and other materials may replace copper in some areas (e.g. cables), but complete substitution will be difficult in the short term.

Fluctuation of financial properties: 

Copper is subject to speculation in the futures market, and short-term price fluctuations may deviate from actual supply and demand.

3. Comparison with other value-preserving metals 

Metals Advantages of value preservation Disadvantages of value preservation 

Copper Industrial demand, new energy concept Economic cycle sensitivity, high volatility 

Gold Preferred safe-haven, anti-inflationary No industrial demand support, dependent on market sentiments 

Silver Combination of industrial and financial attributes High volatility, susceptible to speculation 

Platinum / Palladium Demand for automotive catalysts Risks of technological substitution (e.g. popularity of electric vehicles)