Bridge Building

What are the three main types of bridges?

 The beam bridge

 The arch bridge
 The suspension bridge

What is the biggest difference between the three main types of bridges?

The biggest difference between the three is the distances they can cross in a single span. A
span is the distance between two bridge supports, whether they are columns, towers or the wall
of a canyon. A modern beam bridge, for instance, is likely to span a distance of up to 200 feet
(60 meters), while a modern arch can safely span up to 800 or 1,000 feet (240 to 300 m). A
suspension bridge, the pinnacle of bridge technology, is capable of spanning up to 7,000 feet
(2,100 m).

What allows an arch bridge to span greater distances than a beam bridge, or a suspension
bridge to span a distance seven times that of an arch bridge? The answer lies in how each
bridge type deals with two important forces called compression and tension:

 _________ is a force that acts to compress or shorten the thing it is acting on.
 _________ is a force that acts to expand or lengthen the thing it is acting on.

A simple, everyday example of compression and tension is a spring. When we press down, or
push the two ends of the spring together, we compress it. The force of compression shortens
the spring. When we pull up, or pull apart the two ends, we create tension in the spring. The
force of tension lengthens the spring.

Put these word in the appropriate gap:

snapping transfer

dissipate buckling

Compression and tension are present in all bridges, and it's the job of the bridge design to
handle these forces without buckling or snapping. _______ is what happens when the force of
compression overcomes an object's ability to handle compression, and _________ is what
happens when the force of tension overcomes an object's ability to handle tension. The best
way to deal with these forces is to either dissipate them or transfer them. To _________ force is
to spread it out over a greater area, so that no one spot has to bear the brunt of the
concentrated force. To _______ force is to move it from an area of weakness to an area of
strength, an area designed to handle the force. An arch bridge is a good example of dissipation,
while a suspension bridge is a good example of transference.

The Beam Bridge

A beam bridge is basically a rigid horizontal structure that is resting on two piers, one at each
end. The weight of the bridge and any traffic on it is directly supported by the piers. The weight
travels directly downward.

The force of compression manifests itself on the top side of the beam bridge's deck (or
roadway). This causes the upper portion of the deck to shorten.

The result of the compression on the upper portion of the deck causes tension in the lower
portion of the deck. This tension causes the lower portion of the beam to lengthen.

Take a two-by-four and place it on top of two empty milk crates -- you've just created a crude
beam bridge. Now place a 25-kilo weight in the middle of it. Notice how the two-by-four bends.
The top side is under compression and the bottom side is under tension. If you keep adding
weight, eventually the two-by-four will break. Actually, the top side will buckle and the bottom
side will snap.

Many beam bridges that you find on highway overpasses use concrete or steel beams to handle
the load. The size of the beam, and in particular the height of the beam, controls the distance
that the beam can span. By increasing the height of the beam, the beam has more material to
dissipate the tension. To create very tall beams, bridge designers add supporting lattice work,
or a truss, to the bridge's beam. This support truss adds rigidity to the existing beam, greatly
increasing its ability to dissipate the compression and tension. Once the beam begins to
compress, the force is dissipated through the truss.
Despite the ingenious addition of a truss, the beam bridge is still limited in the distance it can
span. As the distance increases, the size of the truss must also increase, until it reaches a point
where the bridge's own weight is so large that the truss cannot support it.

Match the following words with their definitions:

tension lattice manifest

crude piers compress

snap span buckle

dissipate two-by-four
_____ a support for the ends of adjacent spans

_____ to be pressed or squeezed so that it takes up less space

_____ something that becomes visible or obvious, one of the different ways it appears

_____ how tightly a rope, cable or wire is stretched

_____ a timber measuring 2 by 4 inches

_____ simple and not sophisticated

_____ to become bent as a result of severe heat or force

If something _____ or if you _____ it, it breaks suddenly, usually with a sharp cracking sound

The _____ of something that extends or is spread out sideways is its width

When something _____ or when you _____ it, there is less of it or it becomes less strong, until it
goes way completely

_____ a structure of crossed wooden or metal strips usually arranged to form a diagonal pattern
of open spaces between the strips

Look at the Collins dictionary definition of “truss”:

-noun

a. any of various structural frames on the geometric rigidity of the triangle and composed
of straight members subject only to longitudinal compression, tension or both: functions as a
beam or cantilever to support bridges, roofs, etc

b. any of various structural frames based on the geometric rigidity of the triangle or
deriving stability from other factors, as the rigidity of joints, the abutment of masonry, or the
stiffness of beams

Can you put these two descriptions into simple terms?

Can you describe the Beam Bridge in two or three short sentences?

Have you ever worked on something similar?

Can you think of different types of Beam Bridges?

Types of Beam Bridges

Beam bridges come in dozens of different styles. The design, location and composition of the
truss is what determines the type. In the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, beam-bridge
construction in the United States was developing rapidly. Designers were coming up with many
different truss designs and compositions. Wooden bridges were being replaced by all-iron or
wood-and-iron combinations. The different truss patterns also made great strides during this
period. One of the most popular early designs was the Howe truss, a design patented by
William Howe in 1840.
His innovation came not in the pattern of his truss, which was similar to the already existing
Kingpost pattern, but in the use of vertical iron supports in addition to diagonal wooden
supports. Many beam bridges today still use the Howe pattern in their truss.

Explain why the Howe truss is innovative.

What are the more common beam bridges in Spain. Why do you think these designs are more
popular?

Can you briefly predict what will be discussed in the Arch Bridge section?

The Arch Bridge

An arch bridge is a semicircular structure with abutments on each end. The design of the arch,
the semicircle, naturally diverts the weight from the bridge deck to the abutments.

Arch bridges are always under compression. The force of compression is pushed outward along
the curve of the arch toward the abutments.
The tension in an arch is negligible. The natural curve of the arch and its ability to dissipate the
force outward greatly reduces the effects of tension on the underside of the arch. The greater
the degree of curvature (the larger the semicircle of the arch), however, the greater the effects
of tension on the underside.

As we just mentioned, the shape of the arch itself is all that is needed to effectively dissipate
the weight from the centre of the deck to the abutments. As with the beam bridge, the limits of
size will eventually overtake the natural strength of the arch.

What are abutments? (a masonry mass supporting and receiving the thrust of part of an arch or
vault).

What does a large semicircle effect?

Is it really something as simple as the shape that moves the weight?

Can you predict the description of a Suspension Bridge?

The Suspension Bridge

Can you write a description of a Suspension Bridge and how they work using the images
below?
Compare your answer to the following description. Is there anything you left out?

A suspension bridge is one where cables (or ropes or chains) are strung across the river (or
whatever the obstacle happens to be) and the deck is suspended from these cables. Modern
suspension bridges have two tall towers through which the cables are strung. Thus, the towers
are supporting the majority of the roadway's weight.
The force of compression pushes down on the suspension bridge's deck, but because it is a
suspended roadway, the cables transfer the compression to the towers, which dissipate the
compression directly into the earth where they are firmly entrenched.
The supporting cables, running between the two anchorages, are the lucky recipients of the
tension forces. The cables are literally stretched from the weight of the bridge and its traffic as
they run from anchorage to anchorage. The anchorages are also under tension, but since they,
like the towers, are held firmly to the earth, the tension they experience is dissipated.

Almost all suspension bridges have, in addition to the cables, a supporting truss system
beneath the bridge deck (a deck truss). This helps to stiffen the deck and reduce the tendency
of the roadway to sway and ripple.