BRIDGES AND HOW THEY WORK

There is no doubt that you have seen a bridge, and it is equally likely that you have travelled over

one. Bridges are a natural part of everyday life.

Bridges are structures that support loads. They provide passage over some sort of obstacle: a river,

a valley, a road or a set of railroad tracks.

We will look at four different types of bridges. It is sometimes difficult to explain the distinguishing

characteristics of each type. It is best to recognise them by studying some examples.

The Basics

There are four major types of bridges:

 the Beam bridge

The biggest difference between these is the distance they can each cross in a single span. A modern

beam bridge is likely to span a distance of up to 60m, while a modern arch can safely span up to 245

or 305m. A suspension bridge is capable of spanning up to 2000m.

What allows one type of bridge to span greater distances than another type of bridge lies in how each

bridge type deals with two important forces called Compression and Tension.
Compression

Compression is a force that acts to compress or shorten the object it is acting on. A member of a

frame that is being compressed is called a strut.

Tension

Tension is a force that acts to expand or lengthen the object it is acting on. A member of a frame that

is being stretched is called a tie.

Compression and tension are present in all bridges. It is the job of the bridge design to handle

these forces without buckling or snapping.

Buckling

Buckling is what happens when the force of compression overcomes an object's ability to resist

compression.

Snapping

Snapping is what happens when the force of tension overcomes an object's ability to resist tension.

The best way to deal with these forces is to either dissipate them or transfer them.

Dissipate

To dissipate force is to spread the force out over a greater area, so that no one spot has to withstand

the worst of the concentrated force. An arch bridge is a good example of dissipation.

Transfer

To transfer force is to move the force from an area of weakness to an area of strength that was

designed to handle the force. A suspension bridge is a good example of transference.

 A beam bridge is a rigid horizontal structure that is resting on two piers, one at each end. The
piers directly support the weight of the bridge and any traffic on it. The weight is travelling
directly downward.
 The force of compression manifests itself on the topside of the bridge's deck. This causes the
upper portion of the deck to shorten. The result of this compression on the upper portion
causes tension in the lower portion of the deck (fig.34). This tension causes the lower portion of
the deck to lengthen.
 Many beam bridges handle the load of compression and tension by increasing the height of the
beam. By increasing the height with more concrete or steel beams, the beam has more material
to dissipate the loads. This supporting latticework to a beam bridge is called a truss (fig.35 & 36).
A support truss adds rigidity to the beam, greatly increasing its ability to dissipate the
compression and tension.

The Arch Bridge

 Each span in an arch bridge is a beam supported by the very strong arch structure. An arch
bridge is a semicircular structure with abutments on each end. The force of compression is
pushed outward along the curve of the arch (fig.37) towards the abutments.

 The tension in an arch is negligible. The natural ability of an arch to dissipate the force outward
greatly reduces the effects of tension on the underside of the arch. The larger the semicircle of
the arch however, the greater the effects of tension on the underside will be.

THE KEYSTONE

The keystone is the most important stone in an arch bridge, without

this stone the arch would collapse. The keystone holds the arch

together.

 The Sydney Harbour Bridge (fig.38 & 39) is a very famous example of an arch
bridge.
 The ultimate example of concrete arch bridges on the Garden Route is without
doubt the Bloukrans Bridge (fig.40). It took three years to construct and was
completed in 1983. It is the longest single-arch bridge in Africa and offers the
highest commercial bungee jump in the world.
  Ancient Romans built arch bridges and aqueducts (fig.43) that are still standing
and structurally sound today.

The Suspension Bridge

 A suspension bridge is one where cables (or ropes or chains) that are securely anchored are
strung across an obstacle and the deck is attached or "suspended" from these cables. Most
suspension bridges have two tall towers through which the cables are strung (fig.44). Thus, the
towers are supporting the majority of the weight.
 Compression pushes down on the deck (fig.45), but because it is suspended, the cables transfer
the compression to the towers, which dissipate the compression directly into the earth. The
cables between the supports receive most of the tension forces. The anchorages are also under
tension, but since they are also held firmly to the earth, the tension is dissipated into the earth.

 Almost all suspension bridges have a supporting truss system beneath the deck. This helps to
stiffen the deck and reduce the tendency of the roadway to sway or ripple.

Suspension bridges come in two different designs:

 The classic suspension bridge recognised by the elongated "M" shape (fig.45).
 The less common cable-stayed design, which has more of an “A” shape (fig.46).

The cable-stayed bridge does not require two towers and four anchorages, as does the suspension

bridge. Instead, the cables are run from the deck up to a single tower where they are secured

(fig.47). The tower is responsible for absorbing the compression forces. In both bridges, the cables are
under tension.

 The longest bridge in the world is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (fig.48) in Japan. It has a total length
of 3910 meters.

Cables in a Suspension Bridge

The main steel cables are extremely thick. Each main cable is composed of smaller cables bound
together to form an extremely strong single cable.

The Cantilever Bridge

can carry a load along the length. It is very limited in is possibilities and is mainly used in

drawbridges.

 Scotland’s Forth Rail Bridge (fig.50), which opened in 1890, represents one of the greatest
engineering feats of the Victorian era.