Bridges

Patrick Kingsbury
Period 5

Bridge Variants
There are a few main designs when it comes to bridge construction.
There are four different types; beam, arch, truss, and suspension. All of these
variants differ in look and design but all ultimately perform the same task.

Beam Bridge
The beam bridge, evidently, uses beams that run across the length of
the bridge. These beams are held at either end of the bridge by piers. Beam
bridges are usually made from wood, steel, and/or concrete. Since there is
little support at the middle of the bridge, and the longer the beams are the
weaker, these types of bridges seldom run over 250 feet. Other than that, this
design is more or less stable.

Arch Bridge
Arch bridges are made out of arcs (some may even be overlapping)
that span all the way to the ground. This creates more of a base for the
bridges force to be put onto, therefore making it more stable. These types of
bridges tend to be made with masonry, iron, steel, and/or lumber. Given their
stability and design, these types of bridges are used to span over gaps that are
up to 800 feet in length.

Truss Bridge
Truss bridges are bridges that utilize a truss to keep the bridge in
place. They can use different types of trusses (most likely the Warren truss),
all using triangles for stability. Like a beam bridge, these bridges end at piers
on both side. Rigid arms come out of both piers and form a truss that then
supports the bridge. These bridges usually span to about 350-400 feet.

Suspension Bridge
Suspension bridges are commonly known bridges that use suspension
cables to hang the bridge from vertical suspenders, which are spaced out
throughout the length of the bridge. One of the most commonly known
suspension bridges is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA. These
bridges are usually made from metals such as steel and iron.

Forces to Withstand
Bridges carry many different types of loads. When engineers design
these bridges, they have to consider what they will be carrying and how to
make the bridge withstand these weights. These different types of bridges all
have different ways of withstanding force. There are five different types of
forces that bridges need to deal with; compression (squeezing), tension
(stretching), bending, shear (sliding), and torsion (twisting).

Compression and Tension

Compression - The act of squeezing the bridge together on both sides,

making the bridge shorter in length.

Tension - The act of stretching the bridge apart on both sides, leading to the
bridge becoming longer.

Bending and Shear

Bending - Just as the name says, it is the act of bending the bridge. When
this happens, depending on which area is stretched and which is
compressed, the bridge may arch upward or downward.

Shear - Also known as sliding, this happens when opposite ends and heights
of the bridge are compressed towards the center (or pulled away). This
causes the bridge to slant like a rhombus.

Torsion

Torsion - The act of twisting the bridge. This results in the length of the
bridge being twisted. Results with a bridge whos shape compares to that of
a double helix.

Loads; Dead and Live Loads

Bridges have to be made to withstand many different types of loads.
In total, there are seven different types of loads that bridges have to work
around. These include:

Dead load the weight of the bridge itself. Includes any weight that is
permanently bound to the structure.

Live load the weight of the objects that pass over the bridge, such as
people, vehicles, and the weight in the vehicles.

Settlement & Thermal Loads

Settlement load refers to the ground, or settlement, that the bridge is

standing from. If the settlement is too uneven, it will result in the bridge
being uneven as well.

Thermal load these are effects made to the bridge be heat. Some bridge
materials may change shape due to heat, therefore altering the shape of the
bridge.

Earthquake & Wind Loads

Earthquake load when the settlement of the bridge moves and shakes
rapidly. This causes the bridge to break at its foundation.

Wind load this is the load that wind puts on the bridge by putting pressure
on it. Can cause weak bridges to sway and eventually collapse.

Vibration Load

Vibration load is the load that alters the bridge when the bridge vibrates
and moves uncontrollably.

Shapes in Bridge Building

In order to make the bridges that are made stable, engineers must
consider the shapes that are incorporated into the bridge building. Not only
are the shapes used in the bridges important, but the shapes of the bridges
themselves are very important. The life of the bridge and whether it falls or
not both depend on the shapes of the bridges.

Varieties
Many different shapes are used in bridge building. For truss bridges,
its triangles; for arch bridges, its arcs. Bridges may use many more shapes.

Francis Scott Key Bridge

Location Baltimore, MD

Length 8,636 ft.

Designer N/A

Materials Steel

Built 1972

Took About one year

Golden Gate Bridge

Location San Francisco, CA

Length 8,981 ft.

Designer Joseph Strauss

Material Steel

Built 1933

Took About four years

Moselle Viaduct

Location Winnigen, Germany

Length 3,068 ft.

Designer N/A

Material Steel

Built 1969

Took About three years