Pontoon bridge the pontoons, increasing the drag from river current and potentially damaging the bridge. See below for floating pontoon failures and disasters. In ancient China, the Zhou Dynasty Chinese text of the "Shi Jing" ("Book of Odes") records that King Wen of Zhou was the first to create a pontoon bridge in the 11th century BC. However, the historian Joseph Needham has pointed out that in all likely scenarios, the temporary pontoon bridge was invented during the 9th or 8th century BC in China, as this part was perhaps a later addition to the book (considering how the book had been
Pontoon effect side than the center of buoyancy can go. At this point, the righting force will disappear, replaced by a turning moment in the opposite direction. This can capsize the vessel at the point at which one pontoon is completely submerged. When using twin lateral pontoons, each pontoon should have enough buoyancy to bear the load of the entire vessel on its own. If the vessel is so heavy that either pontoon is mostly submerged when no lateral force is applied, it will be vulnerable to the pontoon effect. If sufficient lateral force arises (such as wind or shifting load), the