Bridges: Past, Present, and
Future
Dr. Lisa Spainhour
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Eng.
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
What Defines a Bridge?
Four main factors define a bridge
Span (simple, continuous, cantilever)
Travel surface (deck, pony, through)
Form (beam, arch, truss, etc.)
Material (timber, concrete, steel)
Bridge BasicsSpan Types
Bridge BasicsTravel Surface
Bridge BasicsTypes
Five main types of bridges
Beam bridge
Truss bridge
Arch bridge
Cable-stayed bridge
Suspension bridge
Bridges may combine different types
Beam Bridges
Simple
span: top surface in compression, bottom in
tension
Cantilever span: top in tension, bottom in compression
Best for spans < 1000, requires many supports to
cross a long distance
Beam BridgesTypes
Beam BridgesExamples
Pony plate girder bridge
Stone footbridges
Beam BridgesExamples
I-540/I-70 Interchange, NC
Lincove Viaduct, NC
I-44, 16th St. Overpass, OK
Truss Bridges
Simple truss
Overall
Cantilever truss
behavior like a beam with less material in the middle
Each member either in tension (e.g. bottom chord) or
compression (e.g. top chord)
Rigid because bar ends pinned into triangles
Best for spans < 2000.
Truss BridgesTypes
Truss BridgesExamples
Stillwater Bridge, MN
Bridge No. 1482, MN
Baihe Bridge, China
Smithfield Street Bridge, PA
Covered Truss Bridges
Stone Mt. Covered Bridge, GA
Germantown Covered Bridge, OH
Inverted bowstring truss (1870s)
Town lattice truss (1830s)
Cantilever Truss Bridges
Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, NY
Firth of Forth, Scotland
(1890)
Arch Bridges
Under
load, ends try to move outward, require
strong abutments or ties to resist spreading
When supported at ends, arch is in
compression
Best for spans of 1000 to 2000.
Arch BridgesTypes
Arch BridgesExamples
The Pont du Gard
Aqueduct,
France
(Ca. 100 AD)
Thomas Aqueduct,
MD (1835)
Rio Cobre Bridge,
Jamaica (1800)
Wrought-Iron Ties,
Cast-Iron Deck
Arch BridgesConstruction
New River Bridge, WV
Natchez Trace Arch, TN
Tied Arch BridgesExamples
Bayonne Bridge, NJ
Willamette River Bridge, OR
I-64 Ohio River Bridge, IN
Suspension Bridges
Cables
(thousands of steel wires) under tension
Towers under compression
Require anchorages at ends to resist span
deflection, bending of towers
Best for spans of > 3000.
Suspension BridgesExamples
Luding Iron-chain Bridge,
Over Dadu River, China
(1705-06)
Menai Suspension Bridge,
United Kingdom (1826),
Removed from service in 1940
Suspension BridgesExamples
Humber Bridge,
England
Golden Gate Bridge,CA
Brooklyn Bridge, NY
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Failure
Galloping Gertie
After Failure
Approach Span, After Failure
Replacement Bridge
Cable-Stayed Bridges
Cables
under tension
Towers, deck under compression (w/post-tensioning)
No end anchorages, require less cable, and are faster to
build than suspension bridges
Best for spans of 1000 to 3000.
Cable-Stayed BridgesExamples
Sunshine Skyway, FL
Clark Bridge, IL
Normandy Bridge, France
Puente del V Centerario
Seville, Spain
Cable-Stayed BridgesExamples
Footbridge, Aarhus, Denmark
Santarem-Almeirim
Bridge, Portugal
Salzburg, Austria
Cable-Stayed BridgesExamples
Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill
Bridge,
Over Charles River
Boston, MA
Bridge BasicsMaterials
Past
Stone
Timber*
Iron
Present
Steel*
Steel-Reinforced Concrete
Prestressed Concrete*
Future
Those with asterisks
Fiber-Reinforced
Polymers (FRPs)
???
Bridge MaterialsFRP
No-Name Creek
Bridge, Kansas
Wickwire Run Bridge,
West Virginia
FootbridgesEntirely FRP
Fiberline
Bridge,
Denmark
Aberfeldy
Footbridge,
Scotland
Parsons Bridge,
Wales
Modern Timber Bridges
Gluelam Beams & Arches
Short lengths of treated wood
bonded with epoxy
Stiff, strong components
Custom designed off-site
Natural, aesthetic appearance
Keystone Wye Bridge,
South Dakota, 1968
Unknown
Modern Timber Bridges
Wisconsin River Bridge
Steel
rod
anchorage
Stress-Laminated Bridge
Decks
Short lengths of treated
wood run lengthwise
Steel or FRP rods crosswise
through holes in deck
Stressing the rods puts steel
in tension, timber in
compression. Creates
strong, stiff deck.
Summary/Questions
Four main factors define a bridge
Span (simple, continuous, cantilever)
Travel surface (deck, pony, through)
Form (beam, arch, truss, etc.)
Material (timber, concrete, steel)
Each is suitable for different sites/conditions
What factors affect the selection/design of a
bridge?
