Bridge Research

Kylan Poyer
Period 7

Four Different Bridges

Beam Bridge Beam bridge is a horizontal beam supported at each
end by piers.
Truss bridge Truss bridge is a assembly of triangles. Truss bridges
are commonly made from a series of straight steel bars.
Arch bridge - A Arch bridge is a bridge made of steel or concrete
and they can span up to 800 feet.
Suspension Bridge This bridge 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 bonding and twisting.

Beam
The 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.

Truss
The Truss bridge consists
of an assembly of
triangles. Truss bridges
are commonly made
from a series of straight
steel bars. The firth of
forth bridge in Scotland
is a cantilever bridge. A
complex version of truss
bridge.

Arch
The Arch bridge has a 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.

Suspension
The suspension bridge 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.

Compression
Compression is a force that squeezes a material
together. When a material is in compression, it needs
The lower columns of a skyscraper are squeezed by the
heavy weight above them. This is squeezing force is
called compression.

Tension and Bending

Tension is a force that
stretches a material
apart. When a material is
in tension, it tends to
become longer. The of
the roadway and all the
cars traveling on it pull
on the vertical cables in
this suspension bridge.

When a straight
material becomes
curved, one side
squeezes together and
the other side
stretches apart. This
action is called
bending

Shear and Torsion

Shear is a force that
causes parts of material
to slide past one
another in opposite
direction. During on
earthquake, parts of this
roadway slid in opposite
directions. This sliding
action is called shear.

Torsion is an action
that twists a
material. In 1940,
the Tacoma
Narrows bridge
twisted violently in
strong winds
collapsed. The
twisting force that
tore this bridge in
half is called
torsion.

Bridge Loads
Dead load
Live load
Dynamic load
Wind load
Thermal load
Earthquake load
Settlement load

Bridge Loads
The weight of the
structure itself is
called the dead load.
Anything permanently
attached to the
structure is part of its
dead load.

The weight of the

stuff on the
structure is called
the live load.
Things that move
around in or on a
structure, like
people, furniture,
and cars, are all
examples of live
load.

Loads that change

over time are called
dynamic loads.
Dynamic loads from
wind gusts to
pounding objects
create vibrations
that can become
bigger and more
dangerous over
time.