THIEN VAN TRAN

The Evolution of Bridge Construction:

Materials for Design

What is a Bridge?

A structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, or the like

Four basic types Girder Arch Suspension Cable-stayed 1

Wood

Tree logs across streams and rivers

Suspension bridges with rope

LumberSupport by

bending2

Wood

Trusses – Triangles Loads applied only at joints

Today only small-scale arch or girder

3

Stone

Stone bridges were exclusively arch bridgesHeavy

4

Stone

Arch Era – 2000 BCE to end of 18th century

Almost all bridges built for infrastructure Romans

No tensile stress

5

Concrete

Composite material of aggregate and some material that chemically binds when set

Romans used volcanic ash 300 BCE Foundations in water

Joseph Aspdin – Portland Cement 1824

6

Concrete

High compression, low tension Railway arches

W.B. Wilkinson –1854Bridge sections up to 300ft

Virtually endless continuous spans

7

Iron

Higher strength (tension and compression) than stone

Chain suspension bridge – China 600 CE Aerodynamics

Thomas Pritchard – 1779Arch bridgeRust

8

Steel

Too expensiveHenry Bessemer – 1856

Rust resistance, tensile strength

9

Steel: Supports

St. Louis Bridge completed 1874

Cantilevers Individual spans

up to 550ftPre-stressed

concrete10

Steel: Cables and Wires

Suspension bridges Tacoma Narrows - 1940

Vertical cables rather than foundations Water

Flex

11

12

Steel: Cables and Wires

Cable-stayed bridgesNewest design, 1955

OptimumHigh-tension, no sagAsymmetrical

13

References

1. http://www.nps.gov/glca/historyculture/images/Navajo_Bridges_1.gif

2. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Bridge_Astore.jpg/800px-Bridge_Astore.jpg

3. http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:vUsuYeN_Rx02SM:http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/mun/images/m223.jpg&t=1

4. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Pont_myc%C3%A9nien_de_Kazarma_2.jpg/300px-Pont_myc%C3%A9nien_de_Kazarma_2.jpg

5. http://www.iabse.ethz.ch/elearningfiles/Tang070913/L09_reference.pdf

6. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3024/images/fs2005-3024_fig_13.jpg

7. http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/cross-bay-veterans-memorial-bridge-spans.jpg

References

8. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/images/iron_bridge_1.jpg

9. http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/Wednesbury/Bessemer1.jpg

10. https://www.nysdot.gov/regional-offices/region6/project-repository/i86_project/images/construction/apr06/full/april04.jpg

11. http://www.manhattanstyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/GeoWashington.jpg

12. http://www.engineeringcivil.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/tacoma-narrows-bridge-collapse.jpg

13. http://www.engineeringdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/sutong-bridge.jpg

Works Cited

Arch Bridges - Design Technology. 15 November 2010 <http://www.design-technology.org/archbridges.htm>.

Brantacan. Cable-stayed Bridges. 27 October 2001. 15 November 2010 <http://www.brantacan.co.uk/cable_stayed.htm>.

Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Thomas Pritchard. 15 November 2010 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/477259/Thomas-Pritchard>.

Carter, John. Roman Concrete Compared to Modern Concrete. 4 January 2010. 15 November 2010 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2543417/roman_concrete_compared_to_modern_concrete.html>.

Clark, Jim. Iron and Steel. 2005. 15 November 2010 <http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/extraction/iron.html>.

Hart-Davis, Adam. "Henry Bessemer, Man of Steel." Science and Technology 27 September 1995.

History of Bridges. 15 November 15 2010 <http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab97>.

How Products Are Made. 15 November 2010 <http://www.madehow.com/inventorbios/33/Henry-Bessemer.html>.

Works Cited

Jensen, J.J. History of Bridges - A Philatelic Review. Trondheim, Norway, n.d. PCA Cement. History & Manufacture of Portland Cement. 2010. 15 November

2010 <http://www.cement.org/basics/concretebasics_history.asp>. Tang, Man-Chung. The Evolution of Bridge Technology. San Francisco, 2007. Trusses. 15 November 2010 <http://www.cwc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/828D87E4-

76F7-4D1E-A370-F063308312E1/0/ApplicationsHistoryDesignandManufacturing.pdf>.

Wikipedia. Arkadiko Bridge. 15 November 2010 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkadiko_Bridge>.

Sutong Bridge. 15 November 2010 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutong_Bridge>.

Wonders of the World Databank. 2000. 15 November 2010 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/iron.html>.

World Steel Association. The History of Steel Bridges. 15 November 2010 <http://www.worldsteel.org/?action=storypages&id=88>.