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Detailed Bridge Engineering

The document discusses the history and development of bridge types from natural bridges built by early civilizations to modern suspension and prestressed concrete bridges, and covers key engineering concepts for bridge design including forces, load balancing, and truss analysis to ensure structural stability. Basic tips are provided for building model bridges including careful joint construction and symmetric design.

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Zeeshan Manzoor
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514 views

Detailed Bridge Engineering

The document discusses the history and development of bridge types from natural bridges built by early civilizations to modern suspension and prestressed concrete bridges, and covers key engineering concepts for bridge design including forces, load balancing, and truss analysis to ensure structural stability. Basic tips are provided for building model bridges including careful joint construction and symmetric design.

Uploaded by

Zeeshan Manzoor
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BRIDGES

Content

• History of Bridge Development


• How Bridges Work
• Basic Concepts
• Types of Bridges
• Concepts Associated with
Bridge Engineering
• Truss Analysis
• Tips for Building Bridges
• Bridge Construction
History of Bridges

The Romans' legacy to bridge building was the heavy masonry


arch bridge, hundreds of which were built throughout Europe. In
this, large stone blocks were wedged against each other to form
an arch. The central stone at the top of the arch was known as the
keystone.
So prolific and efficient was Roman building that it was hundreds
of years before Europeans took to bridge building anew. Then, in
the 12th century Catholic priests and professionals took over the
building of bridges because the Church recognized the
advantages of good road communications in a developing society.

Until the late 17th century bridges continued to be designed and


built largely by priests or architects with a flair for engineering. But
such complex and essential work could not rest in the hands of
gifted amateurs forever. In 1716 French army engineers took the
lead on the rest of the world in bridge building.
History of Bridge Development

Natural Bridges 700 A.D. Asia

Great Stone Bridge in China


Clapper Bridge
Tree trunk Low Bridge
Stone Shallow Arch

Strength of
Materials
Mathematical
Theories
Roman Arch Bridge
Development of
The Arch Metal
Natural Cement

100 B.C. Romans 1300 A.D. Renaissance


History of Bridge Development

1800 A.D. 1900 A.D. 2000 A.D.

Truss Bridges
Prestressed
First Cast-Iron Bridge Mechanics of Concrete
Design
Coalbrookdale, England Steel

Britannia Tubular Bridge Suspension Bridges


Wrought Iron Use of Steel for
the suspending
cables
1850 A.D. 1920 A.D.
How Bridges Work?

Every passing vehicle shakes the bridge up and


down, making waves that can travel at
hundreds of kilometers per hour. Luckily the
bridge is designed to damp them out, just as it
is designed to ignore the efforts of the wind to
turn it into a giant harp. A bridge is not a dead
mass of metal and concrete: it has a life of its
own, and understanding its movements is as
important as understanding the static forces.
Basic Concepts

Span - the distance between two bridge


supports, whether they are columns, towers
or the wall of a canyon.

Force - any action that tends to maintain or alter the position of


a structure

Beam - a rigid, usually horizontal, structural element

Pier - a vertical supporting structure, such as a pillar


Beam

Pier
Types of Bridges
Basic Types:
•Beam Bridge
•Arch Bridge
•Suspension Bridge

The type of bridge used depends on various features of the


obstacle. The main feature that controls the bridge type is the
size of the obstacle. How far is it from one side to the other?
This is a major factor in determining what type of bridge to use.
The biggest difference between the three is the distances they
can each cross in a single span.
Types of Bridges

Beam Bridge

Consists of a horizontal beam supported at each end by piers.


The weight of the beam pushes straight down on the piers. The
farther apart its piers, the weaker the beam becomes. This is
why beam bridges rarely span more than 250 feet.
Types of Bridges

Truss Bridge

Truss - a rigid frame composed of short, straight pieces joined to


form a series of triangles or other stable shapes
A truss bridge

A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is


composed of a truss a structure of connected elements forming
triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight)
may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both
in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the
oldest types of modern bridges
Types of Bridges

Arch Bridges

The arch has great natural strength. Thousands of years ago,


Romans built arches out of stone. Today, most arch bridges
are made of steel or concrete, and they can span up to 800
feet.
Types of Bridges

Suspension Bridges

This kind of bridges can span 2,000 to 7,000 feet -- way farther
than any other type of bridge! Most suspension bridges have a
truss system beneath the roadway to resist bending and
twisting.
Bridge Engineering

Basic math and science concepts


Pythagorean Theorem

b c
a
g a
b
 c2=b2+a2
 a+b+g=180
Bridge Engineering

Basic math and science concepts

To design a bridge like you need to take into account the


many forces acting on it :
•The pull of the earth on every part
•The ground pushing up the supports
•The resistance of the ground to the pull of the cables
•The weight of every vehicle
Then there is the drag and lift produced by the wind
•The turbulence as the air rushes past the towers
Bridge Engineering

Truss Analysis

Structural Stability Formula

Where:
K = The unknown to be solved
K = 2J - R J = Number of Joints
M = Number of Members
R = 3 (number of sides of a triangle)

K Results Analysis:
If M = K Stable Design
If M < K Unstable Design
If M > K Indeterminate Design
Bridge Engineering

Truss Analysis

Structural Stability Formula (Example)

Joints
J=9
Members
M=15
K = 2 (9) – 3 = 15

15 = M = K then The design is stable


Tips for building a bridge

1. Commitment - Dedication and attention to details. Be sure you


understand the event rules before designing your prototype.
1) Draw your preliminary design
2) ALL joints should have absolutely flush surfaces before
applying glue.
 Glue is not a "gap filler", it dooms the structure!
3) Structures are symmetric.
4) Most competitions require these structures to be weighed. Up
to 20% of the structure's mass may be from over gluing.
The Importance of Connections

Stresses flow like water.


Where members come together there are stress
concentrations that can destroy your structure.
So the connections need to be angled right to be
strong!
Here is a connection detail of one of the spaghetti
bridges.
Different Bridges

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