Bridge tech assignment, Ashria Habib 7B1

Beam bridge
History/ fun facts
Prehistoric guy commenced constructing bridges through imitating nature. Finding it beneficial to stroll on a tree that had fallen
throughout a stream, he began out to area tree trunks or stone slabs wherein he desired to go streams. When he desired to bridge a
much wider stream, he discovered the way to pile stones withinside the water and lay beams of wooden or stone among those columns
and the bank. The first bridge to be documented turned into defined through Herodotus in 484 b.c. It consisted of timbers supported
through stone columns, and it was constructed throughout the Euphrates River a few three hundred years earlier. Most well-known for
his or her arch bridges of stone and concrete, the Romans additionally constructed beam bridges. In fact, the earliest recognised
Roman bridge, built throughout the Tiber River in 620 b.c., was referred to as the Pons Sublicius as it turned into fabricated timber
beams (sublicae). Roman bridge constructing strategies covered using cofferdams even as building columns. They did this through
using a round association of timber poles into the floor across the supposed column location.

Weight/ force/ stress

Should possess the strength to hold the extremely heavy loads put on it. These heavy loads are held up by the bridge piers. They
cause the beam top edge to compress, while the lower edge is stretched and put under tension. The bridge's strength connects to the
material. The more the material thickens, the stronger it is, though the bridge's strength primarily relies on the space between the piers.

Main construction materials

As technology advanced, the materials used to build bridges did the same. The materials used are strong, but still light and durable.
These materials include reformulated concrete, composite materials that have been reinforced with fibre, steel and prestressed
materials. Steel rods are built into the concrete that can bear the loads put on the bridge.

Typical spans
The more space in between the piers, the weaker the bridge gets so beam bridges usually dont span more than 76.2 meters. They can
still span great lengths by being daisy-chained creating a continuous span.

Technical drawing Captain Cook Bridge, Sydney

Arch Bridge
History & fun facts
Arch bridges have been built for thousands of years. Many ancient civilisations, but specifically the Greeks, Romans and Chinese built
arch bridges, mostly with stones or concrete. These old bridges were some of the first to survive floods and storms. The Ancient
Chinese people built the Zhaozhou Bridge in 605 CE and it is still standing to this day. But during the industrial revolution, they lost a lot
of their popularity. Despite this, they are still used but have been developed a lot more.

Weight/ force/ stress

The arch bridge's semicircular structure distributes compression through its form and diverts weight onto its two components of the
bridge that take on the pressure, these are called abutments. Unfortunately the arch bridge can't avoid physics completely. The bigger
the degree of curvature, the greater the effect of tension of the underside of the arch bridge. Build an arch big enough and tension will
eventually overpower the structure’s natural strength.

Main construction materials

Arch bridges are built with a variety of materials like stone, timber, cast iron, steel and of course concrete. The most popular ones in
modern times though, are reinforced concrete and structural steel. These two are mainly used because of the slender and elegant
arches they provide and how they help make longer capacities possible
Typical span
Because of the new materials used to build the bridges, arch bridges can span so much longer than before. Nowadays arch bridges
tend to span around 60-250 meters. This allows the bridges to be used for more versatile purposes, like roads and such. Despite this
being the average length, there are some wonder bridges like the Pingnan Third Bridge that spans more than double double 250
meters.

Technical drawing. Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney NSW

Truss Bridge
Historical aspect/ interesting facts
Despite there not being any evidence of truss bridges in ancient times, a 13th century sketchbook of a French artist Villard de
Honnecourt shows sketches of truss bridges. Another account of truss bridges is Andrea Palladio’s “Treatise on Architecture” (1570).
Several covered bridges, which are just enclosed truss bridges, were found in Switzerland.

Weight/ force/ stress

Truss bridges are composed of a series of triangles, also known as trusses, hence the name. Since the triangle is so strong, the truss
bridge can hold up extreme loads over large amounts of space. This is way they are commonly used for railroad bridges and military
bridges.

Main construction materials used

When building truss bridges, The materials used like wood, iron and steel are used to their highest potential, not wasting any. The
building of a truss bridge is quite an eco- friendly option, compared to other bridges. Before the industrial revolution, the USA had so
much wood that they made lots of wooden bridges, most of them being truss. The first half of the 19th century had very few truss
bridges made of iron even though the first patent for an iron truss bridge was issued in 1841. Slowly metal started to be used. After the
first truss bridge, engineers experimented, trying to find better shapes, suitable for specific problems.

Typical spans
In the olden days, truss bridges spanned around 50-70 meters. But as a result of modern technology and materials they span from an
average of 50-110 meters. Even though this is the average, there are truss bridges out there which exceed this limit.
Technical drawing. Kempsey truss bridge, Kempsey NSW

Suspension/ cable- stayed

History/ interesting fact
Suspension bridges are one of the oldest bridges to be built. They are estimated to be around 6000 years old. The first design of a
suspension bridge that resembles modern designs appeared in the book “Machine Novae” from 1959 by Venetian polymath Fausto
Veranzio. The first iron chain suspension bridge in the US was made in Pennsylvania in 1801. This Is the first one to have the
necessary components of a modern suspension bridge. It was designed by James Finley.

Weight/ force/ stress

Suspension and cable stayed bridges use curved cables in tension to bear vertical loads. These stresses are transferred to the towers,
which transmit them to the ground via vertical compression, and to the anchorages, which must withstand the cables' inward and
occasionally vertical strain. The suspension bridge is built in the shape of an upside-down arch, with only the towers in compression.
Because the deck is suspended in the air, it must remain motionless throughout loading. As a result, the deck must be heavy, stiff, or
both at the same time.

Main construction materials

The towers of the suspension bridges are mostly made of steel but some are made of steel-reinforced concrete. The deck tends to be
steel, while longer bridges are made of heavier stuff like cast iron, or sometimes even wood. The most important bit of the suspension
bridge uses the cables, these are made of steel wires that are twisted around each other. These materials are usually expensive
because of the amount of wires needed, resulting in suspension bridges being one of the most expensive bridges out there.

Typical spans
The typical length for a suspension bridge is 609-2133 meters but the longest suspension bridge is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, spanning
a whopping 3909 meters. They are used for carrying light loads over long areas, this is why they are averagely the longest types of
bridges.

Anzac Bridge, Sydney. Suspension bridge technical drawing.

Cantilever bridge
History/ interesting facts
Henrich Gerber, an engineer, built the first cantilever bridge in 1867. Just a year before he invented the hinge girder and this helped
him lengthen the cantilevers and build a bridge that stretched across Germany’s Main River. The bridge was then named the Gerber
Bridge, named after its inventor.

Weight/ force/ stress

Cantilever bridges are often supported with trusses. A bridge truss takes the deck's load and moves it to the piers and abutments,
helping the cantilevers withstand tension in the upper supports and compression in the lower ones. The bridge is split into three spans,
the center one carrying the vertical load, like a truss bridge or beam bridge would.
Main construction materials
Usually the bridges are made of metals, like steel or iron. They also use iron to weigh the cantilevers down to make sure they wont tip
or tilt under the bridge's weight. They can also be made from pre-stressed concrete as well as the other metals stated, because of their
similarities to truss bridges and beam bridges.

Typical spans
With the right process and materials cantilever bridges can span over 460m, because of this they are widely used for pedestrians, trains
and motor vehicles. They are useful for spanning a waterway without extra river piers.

(I couldn't do a lot on this bridge sorry)

Technical drawing. Story Bridge, Brisbane

Tharwa Bridge

Date of construction
The Tharwa Bridge was first designed in 1893 and was then built later in 1895 on the 17th of March.

Dimensions
The bridge is 182 meters long and 4.6 meters wide

Maximum capacity
The Tharwa Bridge can hold up to 5 tonnes (5000 kilograms)

Location
It is located along Tourist drive 5, Tharwa ACT and crosses the Murrumbidgee River

Designer
The bridge was designed by Aussie engineer Percy Allen, the designer of many other bridges.

Design details
The bridge was a truss bridge, specifically an Allen Truss, a specialty of its designer Percy Allen. It was built
with more compact triangles and later it was found that even with updates being made the bridge was
weathering away slowly.

Construction
The bridge was made up of small and short woods but the beam approach spans were later repaired with
concrete and steel in 1945, like many other old bridges. Before this whole change though, 9 years prior in 1936
the bridge's wooden piers were encased in concrete.
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