The Golden Gate bridge

The purpose behind creating the bridge

the concept of building the bridge came to solve the problem of transportation because , before the
bridge was built taking ferry service was the only choice to travel from san francisco to Marin county,
therefore many people felt the need of a bridge that would connect the two places.

Design

Joseph strauss is credited as the engineer leading this project he suggested a design consisting two
main towers of 230 meters above the water level at the center and the weight of the entire bridge is
supported by two cables that run parallel to each other on either side .

Construction

On January 1933 the 35$ million project began ,the construction took 4 years . we have steps of
construction :

-working under water:

The south tower was located more than (335 meters) from the San Francisco shore. To build the south tower
structures, divers played a critical role descending up to (33 meters) into the tumultuous waters of the Golden
Gate Strait.

- bathtub for the south tower :

The plans called for a huge oval-shaped concrete barrier, or fender, to protect the base of the south tower
from ship collisions during fog. To build the fender, workers placed the concrete through tubes underwater into
wood forms, where it set.

- Word’s Tallest bridge towers:

The height of the Bridge’s towers directs the tensile (pulling) forces in the main cables upward, so that the
cables can efficiently do their job of holding up the roadway deck.

Spinning the Main Cables :

The cables were constructed high in the air using a process called cable spinning.

To spin the cables, workers pulled a wire, from the concrete anchorage at one shore, up and over
both towers, and on to the other anchorage. The wire was then secured and sent back.

Individual wires were grouped into heavier strands and compacted together to form the finished
cable.

Hanging the Roadway Deck :

The deck is built in sections, proceeding out from the towers in a balanced way, each section hung
from the suspenders.

Golden gate bridge maintenance:

 - Ironworkers replace corroding steel and rivets, make small fabrications for use on the Bridge,
and assist painters with their rigging.

- Painters prepare all Bridge surfaces and repaint corroded areas.

- Operating engineers and mechanics ensure that all equipment and vehicles are in good
repair.

- Electricians maintain toll equipment and all electrical components of the Bridge. They also
operate the fog horns.

- Communications technicians ensure that radio communications are always operational.

- A streets and grounds team keep the surrounding areas of the Bridge in proper repair and
attractive for the over ten million visitors each year.

Golden gate bridge structural specifications:

The total length of the Golden Gate Bridge from abutment to abutment is 8,981 feet (2,737 m).

the Golden Gate Bridge's clearance above high-water averages 220 feet (67 m) while its towers, at
746 feet (227 m) above the water.

Each cable is made of 27,572 strands of wire.

The bridge has approximately 1,200,000 total rivets.