The Six Most Common Types Of Bridges In The World

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A bridge is a structure carrying a pathway, roadway or railway across the river, valley or any obstacle. The purpose is to connect two places.
The 6 most common types of bridges in the world include :
• Beam Bridges
• Arch Bridges
• Suspension Bridges
• Cantilever Bridges
Truss Bridges
• Cable-Stayed Bridges
The designs of the bridges depend on the type of terrain they are built, the material used to construct it and the financial resources available for it.
The oldest stone standing bridge in China is the Zhaozhou Bridge, built during the Sui Dynasty in 605 AD. Over around 1400 years later, the bridge is still standing very sturdy today. The bridge is also considered the world’s oldest stone segmental arch bridge.
Beam bridge, also known as girder bridge, is the simplest type of bridge. They are also the most common bridge type in the world today. It only requires a horizontal structure and two supports, one at each …show more content…

The basic principle of arch bridge is because of its curved arch design. The supports on each side are called abutments. When there is load on the bridge, the forces of the load is transferred to the abutments instead of pushing straight down. One of the disadvantage of the arch design is without the firm abutments, the arch bridge will collapse. The earliest arch bridge was constructed by the ancient Greeks, it is called the Mycenaean Arkadiko Bridge and it is made up of stones. Today, steel and reinforced concrete are the two most common materials to build arch bridges all around the world. There are actually 5 types of arch bridges, it consists of Corbel arch bridge, Deck arch bridge, Tied arch bridge, Through arch bridge and Aqueducts and canal viaducts. The world’s largest arch bridge today is the Chaotianmen Bridge. It is located in Chongqing, China. The total length of the bridge is 1741 m (5712 feet) with a span of 552 m (1811

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