The Physics of Bridges

535 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The physics of bridge design

Physics of Bridges

The physics behind bridges is more complex than first meets the eye. To assure that a bridge is well-supported many concepts must be understood and used in the correct manner.

What is a bridge?
A bridge is a complex structure allowing passage across an obstacle: a structure that is built above and across a river, road, or other obstacle to allow people or vehicles to cross it.

Bridge forms
There are four major forms of bridges: beam, truss, arch, and suspension.

A beam bridge, also known as a girder bridge, contains a horizontal beam supported by 2 piers at each end. The beam pushes down on the piers, which weakens the overall bridge. These simplistic bridges are the shortest of all types due to the lack of built-in supports. The further the supports become due to the stretching of the bridge, the weaker the beam bridge becomes, so they only span to approximately 76.2 meters on average. Therefore, this type of bridge must be able to resist twisting and bending when a heavy load is on it. Reinforced concrete and steel beams are most commonly used to make the...

Show More
Related

  • Exemplification Essay: The Silver Bridge Collapse

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    “It was designed with a twenty-two foot roadway and one five-foot sidewalk” (Silver). The silver bridge is a very long bridge. “An eye-bar is a long steel plate having large circular ends with an "eye" or hole through which a pin is used to connect to other eyebars (to make a chain) or to other parts of the bridge.” according to Richard Fields. The whole bridge was built using the eye-bar suspension.

    Read More

  • Bronx Neck Bridge: Case Study

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    BRONX- 25 year old man is found dead after driving off the Bronx Neck Bridge with his girlfriend in the trunk of his car at around 2:00am.

    Read More

  • How Did The Chesapeake And Ohio Northern Railway Company Or C & O Bridge Construction?

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    The area of where the bridge was to cross the Ohio River was said to be one of the hardest places to build but came with some advantages. The section of the river had a solid rock base for the supporting pier to be built on. Since the engineers knew they could build a pier that would not settle they decided on a continuous bridge design. This design type distributes the weight so the steel trusses could be smaller and riveted together. This alone saved an estimates twenty percent of steel that was originally thought to be need to make the bridge cutting down the cost. The two continuous trusses span a collective 1,550 feet across the water. With addition of the north and south approach viaducts, for trains to go under the bridge, the superstructure’s total length is 3,463 feet. The bridge was made to hold two sets of tracks making the width 38 feet and 9 inches. The design called for 27,000 cubic yards of concrete and 13,200 tons of steel with some members being four foot square beams that span a distance of seventy feet. The design was the first step in a long process that would take several years to

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Suspension Bridges

    124 Words  | 1 Pages

    According to Suspension bridges: Concepts and various innovative techniques of structural evaluation, “During the past 200 years, suspension bridges have been at the forefront in all aspects of structural engineering” (“Suspension”). This statement shows that suspension bridges have been used for over 200 years, and that people are still using them today because they are structurally better bridges. This paper shows four arguments on the advantages of suspension bridges, and why you should use one when building a bridge. When deciding on building a suspension bridge, it has many advantages such as; its lightness, ability to span over a long distance, easy construction, cost effective, easy to maintain, less risk

    Read More

  • Taking a Close Look at the Golden Gate Bridge

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    Golden Gate Bridge held the title as one of the longest bridges for a reason. It has a total length of 2,737 meters with a width of 27 meters. It also has a clearance of 67 meters for ships to pass by. Besides its incredible dimension, its architecture also plays a tremendous role for its beauty. The bridge employs art deco style, a chevron or beveled shape, used to add visual effect. The concrete structures at the ends of the bridge have chevron form as well as the concrete at the base of the towers. There are two shafts in each tower, 90 feet apart decreasing in width as they go up. The two shafts are connected by cross bracing and having four horizontal struts above. The bridge’s art deco design and towers were designed by architect Irving F. Morrow.

    Read More

  • Dab Memorial Bridge Analysis

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    managed to produce a clear image of how the footprints lead directly to and over the bridge. But

    Read More

  • The Bridge On The Dina Summary

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    The bridge in cases brought happiness and hope to the people of the town as natural disasters and human life interactions gave it a meaning for the people. The bridge did bring many downsides to it as executions and the leading of World War 1 eventually occurred due to the problems that were brought over from the existence of the bridge. The view from the book was that The Bridge on the Drina brought joy for the town but it eventually leaded to political problems that could not be avoided until the bridge was destroyed. For me only one question remains and that is whether our present day today would be any different if that bridge was not built. Could that bridge be the blame for the idea of World War

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Sword Bridge

    1766 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since humans are mortal, the sensation of pain is integral to the human condition. On one hand, pain alerts the body of a danger that is threatening its overall well-being; however, pain can be used as a means of torture to break the psyche or willpower of someone. As Lancelot races to save his queen from the evil Méléagant, he encounters the Sword Bridge. This Bridge is notorious for its slender construction, making it impossible for one

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Bridge Of San

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    People who thinks of Thornton Wilder primarily in terms of his classic novella “Our Town,” The Bridge of San Luis Rey will seem like quite a switch. For one thing, he has switched countries; instead of middle America, he deals here with Peru. He has switched eras, moving from the twentieth century back to the eighteenth. He has also dealt with a much broader society than he did in “Our Town,” representing the lower classes and the aristocracy with equal ease. But despite these differences, his theme is much the same; life is short, our expectations can be snuffed out with the snap of a finger, and in the end all that remains of us is those we have loved.

    Read More

  • The Millau Viaduct and The Hampden Bridge

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the great engineering feats when building this bridge was the use of steel. Despite its maximum height of 343m span of 2.46km, 280m above the valley floor, the bridge is actually quite light. 242,000 tonnes seems like a lot but without the use of steel on the structure, this bridge would have been more than twice as heavy. Steel is a much stronger material than concrete, so can support more weight with less mass. The actual road deck, which is comprised almost entirely of steel, only weighs 36,000 tonnes. The other 206,000 tonnes comes primarily from the massive pylons, which are m...

    Read More

  • The Collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

    2332 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is perhaps the most notorious failure in the world of engineering. It collapsed on November 7, 1940 just months after its opening on July 1, 1940. It was designed by Leon Moisseiff and at its time it was the third largest suspension bridge in the world with a center span of over half a mile long. The bridge was very narrow and sleek giving it a look of grace, but this design made it very flexible in the wind. Nicknamed the "Galloping Gertie," because of its undulating behavior, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge drew the attention of motorists seeking a cheap thrill. Drivers felt that they were driving on a roller coaster, as they would disappear from sight in the trough of the wave. On the last day of the bridge's existence it gave fair warning that its destruction was eminent. Not only did it oscillate up and down, but twisted side to side in a cork screw motion. After hours of this violent motion with wind speeds reaching forty and fifty miles per hour, the bridge collapsed. With such a catastrophic failure, many people ask why such an apparently well thought out plan could have failed so badly?(This rhetorical question clearly sets up a position of inquiry-which iniates all research.) The reason for the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is still controversial, but three theories reveal the basis of an engineering explanation. (Jason then directly asserts what he found to be a possible answer to his question.)

    Read More

  • Bridge Scour Essay

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theoretical basis for the structural design of bridge is well established. In contrast, the mechanics of flow and erosion in mobile-boundary channels has not been well defined and it is

    Read More

  • The Blue Water Bridge

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, before doing this we had to look more into depth on the materials we will use to construct our bridge. We also have to consider the possible environmental and geological factors that should be taken into consideration for our model. Pertaining to environmental and geological factors, there are many stipulations that structural engineers take into consideration before the construction of a truss bridge begins. The main objective of the geotechnical engineers are to protect the lives of others and avoid property damage from happening which can be caused by various geological conditions. Geological engineering uses principles of soil and rock mechanics to find surface conditions and materials.The Geotechnical engineers complete works such as: geological hazard assessments, material properties, landslide and slope stability, erosion, flooding, dewatering, and seismic investigations. These engineers closely examine all of these important factors before constructing a bridge in a certain location. According to Teach Engineering.com, constructing a safe and efficient bridge requires an ample amount of time and energy. Environmental and geological factors play a major role in construction, as

    Read More

  • Golden Gate Bridge Research Paper

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her essay,”Importance of the Golden Gate Bridge,” Stephanie Stiavetti suggest that “It maintained this point of pride for nearly 25 years until the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. Today, this historic San Francisco landmark holds its place as the second largest suspension bridge in the country, behind Verrazano Narrows.” Back then, experts thought that it would be impossible to build a bridge across the tides and currents in that area because strong currents and tides would make construction extremely difficult and dangerous. The water is over 500 feet deep in the center of the channel, and along with the area's strong winds and thick fog, the idea of building a bridge there seemed nearly impossible. Despite all of the problems of building a bridge across the Golden Gate, Joseph Strauss was named as lead engineer for the project. Construction began January 5, 1933, and in the end cost more than $35 million to

    Read More

  • Balsa Truss Bridge Essay

    1752 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bridge efficiency is important as it helps reduce cost of building while maximizing the strength of the bridge. Many things can influence the bridge’s strength and weight, but the two main things that can cause a bridge to be a failure or success is the design of the bridge and construction of its joints. In order to build a potent balsa truss bridge, it is crucial to know how the layout of members and style of gluing can help increase or decrease strength.

    Read More

More about The Physics of Bridges

Open Document