BRIDGES

Prepared by:
DIA Baboye
Lhmaime Mohamed
Ajouaou Farid
Yazid Hamza
 Work Plan

• History of Bridge Development

• How Bridges Work
• Basic Concepts
• Types of Bridges
• Concepts Associated with
Bridge Engineering
• Truss Analysis
• Some famous bridges
 History of Bridge Development

Natural Bridges 700 A.D. Asia

Great Stone Bridge in China

Clapper Bridge

Tree trunk Low Bridge

Stone Shallow Arch

Strength of
Materials
Mathematical
Theories
Roman Arch Bridge
Development of
The Arch Metal
Natural Cement
1300 A.D. Renaissance
100 B.C. Romans
 History of Bridge Development

1800 A.D. 1900 A.D. 2000 A.D.

Truss Bridges
Prestressed
First Cast-Iron Bridge Mechanics of Concrete
Coalbrookdale, England Design
Steel

Britannia Tubular Bridge Suspension Bridges

Use of Steel for
Wrought Iron the suspending
cables
1850 A.D. 1920 A.D.
 How Bridges Work?

Every passing vehicle shakes the bridge up

and down, making waves that can travel at
hundreds of kilometers per hour. Luckily the
bridge is designed to damp them out, just as it
is designed to ignore the efforts of the wind to
turn it into a giant harp. A bridge is not a dead
mass of metal and concrete: it has a life of its
own, and understanding its movements is as
important as understanding the static forces.
 Basic Concepts

Span - the distance between two bridge

supports, whether they are columns,
towers or the wall of a canyon.

Force - any action that tends to maintain or alter the position

of a structure

Compression - a force which acts to

compress or shorten the thing it is acting
on.
Tension - a force which acts to expand or
lengthen the thing it is acting on.

Compression Tension
 Basic Concepts

Beam - a rigid, usually horizontal, structural element

Beam

Pier

Pier - a vertical supporting structure, such as a pillar

Cantilever - a projecting structure supported only at one end,

like a shelf bracket or a diving board

Load - weight distribution throughout a structure

 Basic Concepts

Truss - a rigid frame composed of short, straight pieces joined

to form a series of triangles or other stable shapes

Stable - (adj.) ability to resist collapse and deformation;

stability (n.) characteristic of a structure that is able to carry a
realistic load without collapsing or deforming significantly

Deform - to change shape

 Basic Concepts

Buckling is what happens when the force of

compression overcomes an object's ability to
handle compression. A mode of failure
characterized generally by an unstable
lateral deflection due to compressive action
on the structural element involved.

Snapping is what happens when tension overcomes an

object's ability to handle tension.

To dissipate forces is to spread them out over a greater area,

so that no one spot has to bear the brunt of the concentrated
force.
To transfer forces is to move the forces from an area of
weakness to an area of strength, an area designed to handle
the forces.
 Types of Bridges
Basic Types:
•Beam Bridge
•Arch Bridge
•Suspension Bridge

The type of bridge used depends on various features of the

obstacle. The main feature that controls the bridge type is the
size of the obstacle. How far is it from one side to the other?
This is a major factor in determining what type of bridge to use.
The biggest difference between the three is the distances they
can each cross in a single span.
 Types of Bridges

Beam Bridge

Consists of a horizontal beam supported at each end by piers.

The weight of the beam pushes straight down on the piers. The
farther apart its piers, the weaker the beam becomes. This is
why beam bridges rarely span more than 250 feet.
 Types of Bridges

Beam Bridge

Forces
When something pushes down on the beam, the beam
bends. Its top edge is pushed together, and its bottom
edge is pulled apart.
 Types of Bridges

Truss Bridge

Forces
Every bar in this cantilever bridge experiences either a
pushing or pulling force. The bars rarely bend. This is why
cantilever bridges can span farther than beam bridges
 Types of Bridges

Arch Bridges

The arch has great natural strength. Thousands of years ago,

Romans built arches out of stone. Today, most arch bridges
are made of steel or concrete, and they can span up to 800
feet.
 Types of Bridges

Arch Bridges

Forces
The arch is squeezed together, and this squeezing force is
carried outward along the curve to the supports at each end.
The supports, called abutments, push back on the arch and
prevent the ends of the arch from spreading apart.
 Types of Bridges

Suspension Bridges

This kind of bridges can span 2,000 to 7,000 feet -- way farther
than any other type of bridge! Most suspension bridges have a
truss system beneath the roadway to resist bending and
twisting.
 Types of Bridges

Suspension Bridges
Forces
In all suspension bridges, the roadway hangs from massive
steel cables, which are draped over two towers and secured
into solid concrete blocks, called anchorages, on both ends of
the bridge. The cars push down on the roadway, but because
the roadway is suspended, the cables transfer the load into
compression in the two towers. The two towers support most of
the bridge's weight.
 Types of Bridges

Cable-Stayed Bridge

The cable-stayed bridge, like the suspension bridge, supports

the roadway with massive steel cables, but in a different way.
The cables run directly from the roadway up to a tower, forming
a unique "A" shape.
Cable-stayed bridges are becoming the most popular bridges
for medium-length spans (between 500 and 3,000 feet).
 Bridge Engineering

Basic math and science concepts

To design a bridge like you need to take into account the

many forces acting on it :
•The pull of the earth on every part
•The ground pushing up the supports
•The resistance of the ground to the pull of the cables
•The weight of every vehicle
Then there is the drag and lift produced by the wind
•The turbulence as the air rushes past the towers
 Bridge Engineering

Basic math and science concepts

Pythagorean Theorem

β c
a
γ α
b
• c2=b2+a2
•
α+β+γ=18
0°
 Bridge Engineering

Basic math and science concepts

Fundamentals of Statics

F
y
x

R1 R2

ΣFx = 0
ΣFy = R1+R2-P = 0
 Bridge Engineering

Basic math and science concepts

Fundamentals of Mechanics of Materials

Modulus of Elasticity (E):

F σ E= Stress = F/A
Strain ΔL/Lo

Lo Where:
E F = Longitudinal Force
ε A = Cross-sectional Area
F ΔL = Elongation
Lo = Original Length
 Bridge Engineering

Truss Analysis

Structural Stability Formula

Where:
K = The unknown to be solved
K = 2J - R J = Number of Joints
M = Number of Members
R = 3 (number of sides of a triangle)

K Results Analysis:
If M = K Stable Design
If M < K Unstable Design
If M > K Indeterminate Design
 Bridge Engineering

Truss Analysis

Structural Stability Formula (Example)

Joints
J=9
Members
M=15
K = 2 (9) – 3 = 15

15 = M = K then The design is stable

 10 Most Famous Bridges In
The World

Throughout the ages, man has been using

architecture to bridge the gaps between physical
obstacles, for the purpose of providing an easy passage.
Most of these bridges are also regarded as landmarks
and are a vital part of the infrastructures of regions
around the world
 Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic
Opened in the beginning of the 15th , a world famous stone gothic bridge
that crosses the Vltava river. The Charles Bridge for a long time was the most
important connection between the Old Town and the area around Prague
Castle.
 Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy
Opened in 1591 , the Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the
Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal. It was
replacement for a wooden bridge that collapsed. The engineering of the
bridge was considered so audacious that some architects predicted a future
collapse. The bridge has defied its critics to become one of the architectural
icons of Venice.
 Brooklyn Bridge, New York, United States
Opened in in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension
bridges in the United States. It connects Manhattan and Brooklyn by
spanning the East River. It has become one of the icons on New York from its
opening day. The bridge has a wide pedestrian walkway open to walkers and
cyclists.
 Tower Bridge, London, England
Opened in 1894, this symbol of British capital is close to the Tower of
London, from which it takes its name. The bridge consists of two towers which
are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways
which are designed to withstand the forces of the suspended sections of the
bridge.
 Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, Australia
Opened in March 1932, It is the world’s largest (but not the longest) steel
arch bridge. The bridge carries roads for vehicles and railroads as well as
bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the North Shore and the central
business district of the city. Because the steel expands or contracts
(depending on whether it is hot or cold) the bridge can rise or fall up to 18
cm.
 Millau Viaduct, Millau, France
Opened in 2004, this 4 lanes bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the
valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. It is the tallest
structure in France, taller than the Eiffel Tower. The speed limit on the bridge
was reduced from 130 km/h to 110 km/h to make it possible taking pictures
of the bridge from the vehicles.
 Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco,
United states
The Golden Gate bridge is located in San Francisco , opened in 1937 and is
perhaps the city’s most famous attraction. 
The famous red-orange color of the bridge was specifically chosen to make
the bridge more easily visible through the thick fog that frequently shrouds
the bridge.
 Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, Kobe, Japan
Opened in 1998 The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge, is the
longest suspension bridge in the world. Before the bridge was built, ferries carried
passengers across the Akashi Strait in Japan. The bridge has three spans. The central
span was originally only 1,990 meter but the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995,
moved the two towers so that it had to be increased by 1 meter.
Conclusion