On July 22, 2025, Dr. Bijan Khaleghi, President of the International Association of Bridge Earthquake Engineering (IABEE), visited Datong for an inspection and technical guidance. To promote international technical exchange, the company hosted a “Bridge Seismic Isolation and Damping Technology Exchange Conference.” Centered on the theme of “Frontier Developments and Engineering Practices in Bridge Seismic Isolation and Damping Technologies”, the event gathered several renowned experts in the field of bridge seismic engineering for in-depth discussions.

Dr. Khaleghi delivered a keynote speech titled “Seismic Resilience and Innovative Seismic Design of Bridges.” Beginning with an analysis of bridge performance during major earthquakes, he emphasized the global shift in bridge design philosophy—from traditional “seismic resistance” to “seismic resilience.” He stressed that structures must not only withstand earthquakes but also recover quickly, minimize damage, and be easily repairable. Dr. Khaleghi systematically introduced advanced seismic isolation systems and structural innovations adopted in North America, such as buckling-restrained braces, sliding friction isolators, and replaceable component systems. Drawing from notable projects like the I-5 freeway bridges in the western U.S. and post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in Washington State, he provided deep insights into key experiences related to design concepts, performance goals, and construction optimization. Furthermore, Dr. Khaleghi offered a forward-looking perspective on the application of emerging technologies in seismic bridge engineering, calling on Chinese enterprises to enhance international collaboration and drive innovation and standardization in seismic technologies. His report was broad in scope, logically structured, and rich in data, offering valuable international perspectives and technical references for China’s bridge industry.

Following the wonderful report by Dr. Khaleghi, a number of industry experts made special reports on bridge isolation and mitigation technology. Experts and scholars from the Engineering Research Center for Super-large Bridge Construction of China Communications Construction Company, the University of Emergency Management (under preparation), Sichuan Road and Bridge, Southwest Jiaot University, and other units shared the latest research results on cutting-edge topics such as seismic design of bridges, innovative isolation theory, and research and development of new isolation equipment.

In addition to the above special invited experts, more than 20 experts and scholars from China Railway Erjian, Sichuan Provincial Highway Institute,ji University, Southwest Construction Institute of China, Sichuan Transportation Vocational and Technical College and other units also came to the scene to exchange and discuss together. The experts exchanged views the difficult points of bridge reduction and isolation technology, engineering cases and future development. The atmosphere at the scene was warm.

Through this technical exchange meeting, Datong has not only shown its own R & D capabilities and engineering practice results in the field of bridge seismic, but also built high-quality technical exchange platform for the industry. In the future, the company will continue to focus on the research of bridge toughness technology and core equipment innovation, and contribute a to promote the development of the industry.