Bridge Research Project

Bridge research project
Eston Storm
Period 7
Types of bridges
Arch- A bridge in the shape of an arch or almost a half circle, and is very
stable
Beam- A bridge with beams or pillars supporting it underneath, and piers at

each side
Suspension- A bridge made with cables to support, and usually a truss system
underneath
Truss- A bridge thats made of an assembly of triangles, and made of steel.
Arch
Has great natural strength
Used to be built of stone, but now from steel or concrete
Can span distances of up to 800 feet
Forces are applied to the middle, squeezing it, and are transferred to the
supports on the side
Beam
Consists of a horizontal beam supported at each end by piers
The weight of the beam pushes straight down on the supports and piers.
The further away the piers, the weaker the beam becomes.
Its uncommon to span more than 250 feet.
Suspension
Most of them have a truss system underneath then, to resist bending and
twisting.
In all of suspension bridges, the road hangs from big steel cables, and are
draped over towers.
Anchorages, or concrete blocks on the sides of them go on both ends of the

bridge.
The forces from the cables holding up the cars are transferred to the towers
compression
Truss
Consists of an assembly of triangles
Made from lots of straight steel bars, and rigid arms, extend from the both
sides of the two piers.
Diagonal steel tubes from the top and bottom, hold those arms in place, and
the arms that go toward the middle are only supported on one side, like a
diving board.
The forces applied are pushing and pulling, and the bars within barely bend,
so they can span further than beam bridges
Forces that act on a bridge
Squeezing- Compression is a force that

pushes a material together. When a
material is in compression it tends to
become shorter
Stretching- Tension is a force that stretches

a material apart. When a material is under
tension, it tends to become longer
Forces that act on a bridge
Sliding- Shear is a force that causes parts

of a material to slide past one another in
opposite directions.
Twisting- Torsion is an action that twists a

material
Forces that act on bridges
Bending- When a straight material

becomes curved, one side squeezes
together and the other side stretches
apart. This action is called bending.
Loads that act on bridges
Weight of structure- The weight of the structure itself

is called the dead load. Anything permanently
attached to the structure is part of its dead loadincluding the columns, beams, nuts and bolts.
Weight of the objects- The weight of the stuff in the

structure is called the live load. Things that move in or
on a structure like people, furniture, and cars are all
examples of live load
Soft soil- When the soil beneath a structure settles

unevenly, it is called settlement load. Structures
will sink and change shape when they experience
settlement load.
Temperature- When a structure expands or shrinks

with the temperature, it is experiencing thermal
load. The temperature causes the beams and
columns to change shape and push and pull on other
parts of the structure.
Wind- When wind blows on a structure, it is

called wind load. Wind load push horizontally on
a structure.
Earthquake- When the ground beneath a

structure jerks back and fourth during an
earthquake load, it is called earthquake load.
Earthquake loads push and pull horizontally on a
structure.
Vibration- Loads that change over time are

called dynamic loads. Dynamic loads- from wind
gusts to pounding objects- crate vibrations that
can become bigger and more dangerous over
time.
Shapes used in bridges
Rectangle- The rectangle is a wobbly, unstable shape. When you push the side
it flops into a slanted parallelogram. This happens without any of the
rectangles sides changing lengths. When theres a brace, the force goes right
into it, preventing it form falling over.
Circle- When force is applied, the sides push out. When theres supports,
called butresses, they push back, and preventing it from spreading apart
Shapes used in bridges
Triangle- the outer edge squeezes together, and the inner edge pulls apart.
When one side experiences these two forces at the same time, it bends. The
weakest part of the triangle is its side. At top of the triangle when added
pressure the sides squeeze together ad the bottom side pulls apart. The
triangle doesnt bend because each side experiences only one force at a time.
When used properly, triangle are the most stable and rigid shapes used in
construction today.
Brooklyn bridge
It was built in Manhattan and Brooklyn, in New York.
It was built in 1883.
Its 3,460 feet, and a suspension bridge for a roadway.
It was made out of steel, and granite, and was built by John A Roebling, and
Washington A Roebling.
Its the second busiest bridge in New York city, one hundred and forty
thousand cars pass every day.
Iron bridge
Made in Shropshire, England
Completed in 1779
Only 100 feet long
an arch bridge, and used to be for a roadway, but is now for pedestrians
Made of cast iron
The engineers who designed it were Abraham Darby the third, And Thomas
farnolls Pritchard
Darby severely underestimated the cost, and remained in debt for the rest of
his life after the production.
Golden Gate bridge
Made in San Francisco, California
Completed in 1937
It costed 27 million, and is 8,981 feet, and is a suspension bridge.
It was made of concrete, and is a roadway
Made by Joseph B Strauss
The length of the steel wires used in the cables of the bridge is enough to
circle the earth three times

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Bridge research project

Beam- A bridge with beams or pillars supporting it underneath, and piers at

Truss- A bridge thats made of an assembly of triangles, and made of steel.

Has great natural strength

Used to be built of stone, but now from steel or concrete

Can span distances of up to 800 feet

Consists of a horizontal beam supported at each end by piers

Its uncommon to span more than 250 feet.

Anchorages, or concrete blocks on the sides of them go on both ends of the

Consists of an assembly of triangles

Forces that act on a bridge

Squeezing- Compression is a force that

Stretching- Tension is a force that stretches

Forces that act on a bridge

Sliding- Shear is a force that causes parts

Twisting- Torsion is an action that twists a

Forces that act on bridges

Bending- When a straight material

Loads that act on bridges

Weight of structure- The weight of the structure itself

Weight of the objects- The weight of the stuff in the

Loads that act on bridges

Soft soil- When the soil beneath a structure settles

Temperature- When a structure expands or shrinks

Loads that act on bridges

Wind- When wind blows on a structure, it is

Earthquake- When the ground beneath a

Loads that act on bridges

Vibration- Loads that change over time are

Shapes used in bridges

Shapes used in bridges

It was built in Manhattan and Brooklyn, in New York.

It was built in 1883.

Its 3,460 feet, and a suspension bridge for a roadway.

Made in Shropshire, England

Only 100 feet long

Made of cast iron

Golden Gate bridge

Made in San Francisco, California

It costed 27 million, and is 8,981 feet, and is a suspension bridge.

It was made of concrete, and is a roadway

Made by Joseph B Strauss

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