AMOUD UNIVERSITY

2nd semester academic year 2017-2018

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

BRIDGE ENGINEERING

SENIOR CLASSES

CHAPTER ONE

BRIDGE BASICS

LECTURE #1

INTRODUCTION

A bridge is structure that spans a depression or provides a passage between two points
which are at a height above the ground affording a passage for pedestrians, vehicles,
etc. In another way bridge can be defined as a structure which provides a passage over
an obstacle without closing the way beneath.

Its function is to carry a service over an obstacle to transfer the loads from the service
to the foundation at ground level

MAJOR BRIDGE COMPONENTS

Bridge engineering possesses its own unique language which must first be understood
by the designer in order to create a uniform basis for discussion
Most bridges can be divided into two major structural components

1. Superstructure
2. Substructure

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Figure below shows a typical, slab-on-stringer structure which carries an overpass
roadway over another road. This particular structure, shown in the figure, consists of a
single span. (A span is defined as a segment of bridge from support to support)

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SUPER STRUCTURE
The superstructure comprises all the components of a bridge above the supports. The
Figure 2 below shows a typical superstructure.

The basic superstructure components consist of the following

1. Wearing surface
2. The Deck
3. Primary members (Stringers or girders)
4. Secondary members (Diaphragms, lateral bracing)

THE WEARING SURFACE (COURSE)

The wearing surface (course) is the topmost layer of material applied upon the deck to
provide a smooth riding surface and to protect the deck from the effects of traffic and
weathering. In some instances this is a separate layer made of bituminous material,
while in some other cases it is an integral
part of concrete deck.
The integral wearing surface is typically 1/2
to 2 in (13 to 51 mm). The bituminous
wearing course usually varies in thickness
from 2 to 4 in (51 to 102 mm). The
thickness, however, can sometimes be
larger due to resurfacing of the overpass
roadway, which occurs throughout the life cycle of a bridge.

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THE DECK
The deck is the physical extension of the roadway across the obstruction to be bridged.
It can be reinforced concrete slabs or stiffened steel plates, etc. The deck is the
component of a bridge to which the live load is directly applied

The main purpose of the deck is to provide a smooth and safe riding surface for the
traffic utilizing the bridge and to distribute loads transversely along the bridge cross
section.

In most bridges, the deck distributes the live load to the superstructure. However, on
some bridges (e.g., a concrete slab bridge), the deck and the superstructure are one
unit which distributes the live load directly to the bridge supports.

Deck Materials
There are three common materials used in the construction of bridge decks:
 Timber
 Concrete
 Steel

Timber Decks: Timber decks are normally referred to as decking or timber flooring
and the term is limited to the
roadway portion which receives
vehicular loads

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Concrete deck: Concrete permits casting in various shapes and sizes and has provided
the bridge designer and the bridge builder with a variety of construction methods.
Because concrete is weak in tension, it is used together with reinforcement to resist the
tensile stresses

Steel Decks: Steel decks are decks composed of either solid steel plate or steel grids

PRIMARY MEMBERS

Primary Members: Primary members distribute loads longitudinally and are usually
designed principally to resist flexure and shear.
In Figure above, the primary members consist of rolled, wide flange beams.
Beam type primary members such as those in the figure are also called stringers or
girders.
These stringers could be
• Steel wide flange stringers
• Steel plate girders (i.e., Steel plates welded together to form an I section),
• Pre stressed concrete,
• Glued laminated timber, or
• Some other type of beam

Haunch
Rather than have the slab rest directly on the primary member, a small fillet or haunch
can be placed between the deck slab and the top flange of the stringer. The primary
function for the haunch is to adjust the geometry between the stringer and
the finished deck.

SECONDARY MEMBERS

Secondary members are bracing between primary members designed to resist cross-
sectional deformation of the superstructure frame and help distribute part of the vertical
load between stringers. The figure above shows a channel-type diaphragms used

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between rolled section stringers. The channels are bolted to steel connection plates,
which are in turn welded to the wide flange stringers shown.

Other Secondary members, (such as lateral

bracing) composed of crossed frames at the
top or bottom flange of a stringer, are used to
resist lateral deformation. caused by loads
acting perpendicularly to a bridge's longitudinal
axis. Wind forces are an example of this type of
loading.

SUB STRUCTURE

The substructure consists of all elements required to support the superstructure and
overpass roadway. (In Figure on page 2) this would be Items 3 to 6. The basic
substructure components consist of the following:

Abutments: Abutments are earth-retaining structures which support the super

structure and overpass roadway at the beginning and end of a bridge. Like a retaining
wall, the abutments resist the longitudinal forces of the earth underneath the overpass
roadway

Piers: Piers are structures which support the super structure at intermediate points
between the end supports (abutments). If the bridge consists of only one span, it
logically does not require a pier. Like abutments, piers come in a variety of forms, some
of which are illustrated here below.

From an aesthetic standpoint, piers are one of the most visible components of a
highway bridge and can make the difference between a visually pleasing structure and
an unattractive one.

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Bearings: Bearings are mechanical systems which transmit the vertical and horizontal
loads of the superstructure to the substructure, and accommodate movements between
the superstructure and the
substructure.

The use and functionality of bearings

vary greatly depending on the size
and configuration of the bridge.
Bearings allowing both rotation and
longitudinal translation are called
expansion bearings, and those which
allow rotation only are called fixed bearings

Pedestals: A pedestal is a short column on an abutment or pier under a bearing which

directly supports a superstructure
primary member. The term bridge seat is
also used to refer to the elevation at the
top surface of the pedestal. Normally
pedestals are designed with different
heights to obtain the required bearing
elevations

Backwall: A back wall, sometimes called

the stem, is the primary component of the
abutment acting as a retaining structure at
each approach

Wingwall: A wingwall is a side wall to the

abutment backwall or stem designed to
assist in confining earth behind the
abutment. On many structures, wingwalls
are designed quite conservatively, which leads to a rather large wall on many bridges

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Footing: As bearings transfer the superstructure loads to the substructure, so in turn
do the abutment and pier footings transfer loads from the substructure to the subsoil or
piles. A footing supported by soil without piles is called a spread footing. A footing
supported by piles, is known as a pile cap.

Piles: When the soil under a footing cannot provide adequate support for the
substructure (in terms of bearing capacity, overall stability, or settlement), support is
obtained through the use of piles, which extend down from the footing to a stronger
soil layer or to bedrock.

APPURTENANCES SITE-RELATED FEATURES

Appurtenances: An appurtenance is any part of the bridge or bridge site which is not
a major structural component yet serves some purpose in the overall functionality of
the structure (i.e guide rails) The bridge site, as an entity, possesses many different
components which, in one way or another, integrates with the structure.

The major appurtenances and site related features are

 Guide rails: designed to keep people or vehicles from (in most cases
unintentionally) lose their way into a dangerous or off-limits areas

 Embankment and slope protection: both aesthetically pleasing and provide

for proper drainage and erosion control

 Under drain: is a drainage system made of perforated pipe or other suitable

conduit that transports runoff away from the structure and into appropriate
drainage channels

 Approach: The section of overpass roadway which leads up to and away from
the bridge abutments. It helps to evenly distribute traffic loads on the soil behind
the abutment, and minimizes impact to the abutment which can result from
differential settlement between the abutment and the approach.
 Traffic barriers

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Name the missing components of the following bridge

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 AMOUD UNIVERSITY
2nd semester academic year 2017-2018
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

BRIDGE ENGINEERING

SENIOR CLASSES

CHAPTER TWO

CLASSIFICATION AND TYPES OF BRIDGES

LECTURE #2

CLASSIFICATION AND TYPES OF BRIDGES

There are many types of bridges and they can be classified in many different ways: by
the type of structural elements used, by what they carry, whether they are fixed or
movable, and by the materials used.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON TYPE OF SUPER STRUCTURE

1. Beam bridge

Beam bridges are the oldest known bridges and tend to be the simplest to design and
build. They consist of vertical piers and
horizontal beams. A beam bridge’s strength
depends on the strength of the roadway and
can be increased by adding additional piers.
While beam bridges can be quite long, the
span, or distance between adjacent piers, is
usually small.

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Beams spanning between only two supports is known as simply supported Beam
Bridge. If two or more beams are joined rigidly together over supports, the bridge
becomes continuous

 As live loads, such as cars and trucks,

travel across the bridge, the force of
compression acts on the top of the
roadway and passes down into the
piers.
 The force of tension acts on the
underside of the roadway, which is
pulled apart by the live loads pressing
down on the top of the roadway.
2. Arch bridge

Arch bridges were built by the Romans and have been in use ever since. They are often
chosen for their strength and appearance. It is the
shape of the arch that gives the bridge its
strength, which is reinforced by placing supports,
or abutments, at its base. Arch bridges can be built
from various materials, including wood, stone,
concrete, and steel.

 The force of compression is greatest at the top

of the arch. The abutments press against the
bottom of the arch, preventing the bases of
the arch from being pushed outward.
 The force of tension is strongest at the bottom
of the arch and pulls the sides outward. In
general, the larger and shallower the arch, the
greater the effects of tension and need for
abutment support.

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3. Truss bridge

Wooden truss bridges were used as early as the 1500s, but the first metal one was
completed in 1841. They are very strong and have been used for railroad bridges
mainly because of the heavy
loads that they can support. A
truss, a rigid support structure
that is made up of interlocking
triangles, holds up the roadbed
and is set between two piers.
The triangle is used because it
is the only shape that is
inherently rigid.

 As traffic pushes down on the roadway, compression acts on the upper horizontal
members of the truss structure.
 Tension acts on the bottom horizontal members of the truss structure. The forces of
tension and compression are shared among the angled members.

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4. Suspension bridge

Suspension bridges are strong and can span long distances. One early bridge was
designed and built in 1801 in Pennsylvania.

They are expensive because they take a long time to build and require a large amount
of material. They are commonly found across harbors with a lot of boat traffic. The
primary elements of a suspension bridge are a pair of main cables stretching over two
towers and attached at each end to an anchor. Smaller cables attached to the main
cables support the roadway.

Traffic pushes down on the roadway, but because it is suspended from the cables, the
weight is carried by the cables, which transfer the force of compression to the two
towers.

The force of tension is constantly acting on the cables, which are stretched because the
roadway is suspended from them.

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CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE SPAN LENGTH OF THE BRIDGE

1. Culvert bridge

When the bridge span length is below 6meters then it is called as Culvert Bridge. A
culvert is primarily a hydraulic structure, and its main purpose is to transport water flow
efficiently.

Culverts are often viewed as small

bridges, being constructed entirely
below and independent of the
roadway surface. However, culverts
do not have a deck, superstructure,
or substructure

2. Minor bridge :

If the bridge span length is in between 8 to 30 meters, then it is called minor bridge

3. Major bridge

For major bridge, the span is generally about 30 to 120 meters.

4. Long span bridge

When the span of bridge is more than 120 meters then it is termed as long span bridge.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE MATERIAL USED

1. Timber bridge

A timber bridge or wooden bridge is a bridge that uses timber or wood as its principal
structural material. One of the first forms of bridge, those of timber have been used
since ancient times. These are generally constructed for short spans or as temporary
bridges. They are not useful for heavy loads.

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2. Masonry bridge

A bridge whose main load-bearing structures are made of natural stone, brick, or
concrete blocks is known as Masonry Bridge. Such a bridge is always arched, with
massive supports. The
advantages of a masonry bridge
are its architectural
attractiveness. Masonry bridges
are known that have been in use
for more than 1,000 years.

3. Steel bridge

Steel bridges are constructed using steel bars or trusses or steel cables. These are more
durable and bear heavy loads.

4. RCC bridge

R.C.C bridges are constructed using reinforced cement concrete. These are more stable
and durable. They can bear heavy loads and are widely using nowadays.

5. Pre-stressed concrete bridge

If concrete material is placed under compression before applying the loads, then it is
called as pre stressed
concrete. To construct pre
stressed concrete bridge,
pre-stressed concrete
blocks are arranged as
deck slab with the help of
girders. These blocks are
suitable for shorter span to
longer span bridges

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CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE FUNCTION OF THE BRIDGE

1. Foot bridge

Foot Bridge is generally constructed for humans to

cross the roads or rail route or any canal by foot.
Vehicles are not allowed in this bridge.

2. Highway bridge

High way or road Way Bridge is used for road

transportation. These are constructed over rivers or
another routes to allow road way traffic. Girder type
bridges are used as highway bridges over rivers or
canals.

3. Railway bridge

Rail bridges are constructed for rail transportation.

Truss type bridges are preferred for railways but
however RCC bridges are also used.

4. Aqueduct bridges

Aqueduct bridges are nothing but water carrying bridges which are constructed to
transport water from source to system.

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CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE INTER SPAN RELATION

Beams and bridges are classified into three span classifications that are based on the
nature of the supports and the interrelationship between spans. These classifications
are:

1. Simple bridge

Simple bridge is like simply supported beam type which consist two supports at its
ends. For shorter spans, simple bridges are suitable

Some characteristics of simple span bridges are:

 When loaded, the span deflects

downward and rotates at the supports
(i.e., the abutments)
 The sum of the reactions provided by
the two supports equals the entire load
 Shear forces are maximum at the
supports and zero at or near the middle
of the spans
 Bending moment throughout the span
is positive and maximum at or near the
middle of the span (the same location
at which shear is zero); bending
moment is zero at the supports

A simple span bridge is easily analyzed

using equilibrium equations. However, it
does not always provide the most
economical design solution.

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2. Continuous bridge

If the bridge span is very long, then we have to build one or more intermediate
supports in between end supports and the behavior of each individual span is
dependent on its adjacent spans. This type of bridge is termed as continuous bridge

3. Cantilever bridge

Cantilever type of bridge has only supported at one end and another end is free to
space. Generally, two cantilever portions are joined to make way to the vehicles or
humans.

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SELECTION OF BRIDGE TYPE

In selection of a bridge type, there is no unique answer. For each span length range
there is more than one bridge type that will satisfy the design criteria.

The major consideration for bridge type selection for bridges is initial cost. Future
maintenance costs, construction time, and location are considered when there is little or
no increase in initial cost. However, selecting an appropriate superstructure type is a
critical factor in the planning and design process

Generally the following factors should be considered when selecting the type of the
bridge

 Geometric Condition of the Site

 Subsurface Conditions of the Site
 Functional Requirements
 Aesthetics
 Economics and ease of maintenance

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