CENG 7509.

BRIDGE ENGINEERING

Dr. JOHN, ME, MBA, PhD,

CE, MIE, FIV.
CENG.7509: BRIDGE ENGINEERING
Course content.
General Considerations for Design and Load
Capacity Evaluation of Highway Bridges.
Introduction to Load Resistance Factor Design
(LRFD) Philosophy. Bridge Loads. Influence
Lines. Grillage Analysis of Bridges. Reinforced
and Pre-stressed Concrete Bridges. Composite
Steel Bridges. Bridge Substructures. Load Rating.
Introduction to Seismic Analysis and Design.
Chapter 1.
Introduction , General classifications, Elements of
bridge project, Important definitions, Engineering
classification of bridges based on forces,
Configurations, position of structure related to
road, Movable and Tilt bridges .
Chapter 2.
Characteristics of an ideal bridge site, data
collection, site investigation, Check list coverage
by a bridge engineer, Investigation report, General
consideration of design and load capacity
evaluation of highway bridges.
Chapter 3.
Introduction to Load and Resistance actor Design
(LRFD) philosophy, Bridge loads.
Chapter 4.
Influence lines ,Grillage Analysis of Bridges.
Chapter 5.
Design of Reinforced and Pre-stressed concrete
Bridges.
Chapter 6.
Design composite steel bridges.
Chapter 7.
Design of bridge substructures.
Chapter 8.
Load Rating and introduction to seismic analysis
of design of bridges.
 CHAPTER.1
INTRODUCTION .
Bridges are very important to everyone. A bridge is
a key element in a transport system. But they are
not seen or understood in a same way by everyone.
Which is what their study is so fascinating.

A single bridge over a small river will be viewed

differently by different people because the eyes of
each one sees it which are unique to that individual.
• Someone travelling over the bridge everyday.
• Remembrance of a time before its
construction.
• Ideas of civil leaders.
• Views by the business community.
• View of an artist.
• Thoughts of an theologian.
• By civil engineers.
• Bridges do not just happen, they must be
planned and engineered before they can be
constructed.
Definition of Bridge.
• Bridge is a structure which carries facilities for
movement of humans, animals or materials over a
natural or manmade obstacles without closing the
way beneath.

• The required passage may be a road, a railway or

pedestrian crossings, a canal or a pipeline.

• Generally bridges can be classified based on their

function, material, type of superstructure, inter span
relations, position of floor, method of connections,
level related to HFL, span and their service.
General classifications of Bridges
• According to their function as railway,
highway, road cum rail, foot bridge (for
pedestrians),aqueduct (canal over a river),
viaduct (road or railway over a valley) or a pipe
line bridge.

• Based on their Material of construction used as

timber, masonry, RCC, steel, pre-stressed
concrete, composite materials. etc
• Type of their superstructure as slab, slab with
girder, trough type, slab and diaphragms, frame
types, truss, arch, cable stayed or suspension
bridges.

• Based on their inter span relations as simple,

continuous ,cantilevered and balanced
cantilevered bridges.

• According to their nature or life span such as

temporary and permanent bridges.etc,
• Based on their relative position of the floor such as
deck, through or suspended bridge.

• Method of connections of the steel constructions as

pin connected, riveted or welded bridges.

• Based on the span of the bridge as culvert (< 6.0

m), minor bridge (6.0 m to 60.0m), major bridge (>
60.0m).

• According to their highest flood level and

navigational purposes.
Elements of bridge project
Superstructure
Deck slabs,
Girders
Arches and Cables etc
Substructure
Approach,
Abutments,
wing walls,
piers,
foundations, apron etc
Elements of bridge project.
 IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS OF GENERAL
TERMS
Superstructure.
The part of the bridge consisting flooring to carry
a communication route, slabs, girders, arches and
suspension cables.etc
Substructure.
The part of bridge structure which supports the
superstructure. It consists of approach, abutments,
wing walls, piers, foundations and apron etc.
 Approach.
It is the embankment which connects the bridge
to the communication route at both ends.
Abutments.
The supportive structure at the end of the bridge
and it can be act as retaining wall to holdback the
earthen embankment.
Wing walls.
The walls constructed at the sides of the abutment
to retain the embankment.
 Piers.
The intermediate supports which are located in-
between the abutments to divide the bridge into
economical span.
Bearings.
The elements which are provided in bridges at the
junctions of the girders or slabs and the top of
piers and abutments. They transit the load from
superstructure to substructure in such a way the
bearing stresses developed are within the safe
limit.
Scour and Apron.
The action of removal of stream bed materials by
stream or tidal current .
Apron is the layer of concrete or masonry stone
placed like flooring at the entrance or outlet of
culvert to prevent scour.
Afflux.
The contraction in waterway due to the
construction of the bridge results in rise of water
level above its normal flow level while passing
under the bridge.
Freeboard.
The clear height between the bottom of the
superstructure and the highest flood level (HFL).
Non navigational rivers :Girder bridges:60 - 90 cm
Arch bridges : 30 cm.
Navigational rivers : > 2.40 – 3.0 M.
Economical span.
The span, for which the total cost of bridge structure
is minimum.
Effective span.
C/c distance between two adjacent supports.
Water way.
The area under superstructure through which
water flows is referred as water way. It can be
measured at right angles to the abutment faces.
Effective linear water way.
It is the total width of waterway of the bridge
minus the effective width of obstructions (width
of supports in-between the abutments).
Cause way.
It is a submersible bridge which allows floods to
pass over it.
Cause way.

It is a submersible bridge which allows floods to pass

over it.
Foot bridge.
It is a bridge which is exclusively used for
carrying pedestrians, cycles and animals.
Under bridge.
It is constructed to enable a road to pass under
another work or obstruction.
Over bridge.
It is a bridge which is constructed to enable one
form of land communication over the other.
Viaduct.
It is the construction of a road or railway over a
valley.
Under bridge.
It is constructed to enable a road to pass under
another work or obstruction.
Viaduct.
It is the construction of a road or railway over
a valley.
Aqueduct.
It is the construction of a canal over a river.
Aqueduct.
It is the construction of a canal over a river.

Through bridges.
These are the bridges whose floorings are
supported or suspended at the bottom of the
superstructure.

Semi through bridges.

The bridges whose floorings are supported at
some intermediate level of the superstructure.
 ENGINEERING CLASSIFICATIONS OF
BRIDGES.

All bridges can be classified into the following

basic types based on how they carry the weight:

• Compression
• Tension
• Tension/Compression (Both)
 BRIDGES BASED ON
THEIR CONFIGURATIONS
 Beam Bridges
• Beam bridges, sometimes called as stringer
bridges,, are the simplest structural forms for
bridge . It is a rigid structure that consists of
one horizontal beam supported at each end by
an abutment or pier at each end.
 The Tianjin Grand bridge is one of the
youngest and also the second longest of all
bridges and is a sea link
 Truss Bridges
• A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing
superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of
connected elements usually forming triangular
units.

• The connected elements may be stressed from

tension, compression, or sometimes both in
response to dynamic loads.

• More elaborate truss bridges may also sport struts,

sway bracing and wind bracing
TRUSS TYPE-PRAT
 Arch Bridges
• An arch bridge is a type of bridge that relies on
a curved, semi-circular structure for its
support.

• Arch bridges work by transferring the weight

of the bridge and its loads partially into a
horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at
either side.
 The Ponte Vecchio (literally “old bridge”) is a
Medieval bridge over the Arno River in
Florence; the only Florentine bridge to survive
WWII
 Cable Stayed Bridges
• A cable-stayed bridge has one or more towers
(or pylons), from which cables support the
bridge deck.

• It is a type of suspension bridge in which the

supporting cables are connected directly to the
bridge deck without the use of suspenders.
The Millau Viaduct (“le Viaduc de Millau”, in
French) spans the River Tarn valley near the
medieval town of Millau in southern France
 Suspension Bridges
• A suspension bridge is a type of bridge which
is built by suspending the roadway from cables
attached to a master cable which runs above
the length of the bridge. They are strong and
lightweight.

• The whole weight of the deck is supported by

vertical cables suspended from further cables
that run between towers and are anchored in
abutments at each end.
 The Tower Bridge was opened on
June 30, 1894 by The Prince of Wales
 Tilt Bridge
• A tilt bridge is a type of moveable bridge
which rotates about fixed endpoints rather than
lifting or bending, as with a drawbridge
 The Gates head Millennium Bridge is the
world's first and currently only tilting bridge
BRIDGES BASED ON THEIR
SUPPORT CONDITIONS
 Simple
Beam or truss rests on one support on each end.
Continuous
Beam or truss continues over at least one support
between the end supports.
Cantilever
• One (or both) ends of a beam or truss are
projected past the end of a support - the projected
anchor spans.
• A subsequent beam or truss is connected to the
projected spans - the suspended span.
Movable Bridges
• They span waterways

• Closed bridge to carry traffic

• Open to allow marine traffic to travel
under
• Usually powered by electric motors
• In the past they were powered by steam
engines
• There are three main types:
1.Bascule
2.Vertical lift
3. Swing
 Bascule Bridge or Drawbridge
• Used for short distances

• Have two movable

spans the rise upward,
opening in the middle
• When open the weight
is supported by the
stationary section of the
bridge
 Vertical-lift Bridge

• Used for longer distances

• Straight bridge, held between two towers
• Lifted by steel ropes, attached to counterweights
-as the counterweights go down the bridge goes up and vise-versa.
• Operate in an elevator like fashion
 Swing Bridges
• Mounted on a central pier
• The central pier allows the bridge to rotate to the side
• Uncommonly used because the central pier is located
in the area where boats like to travel
 The Gates head Millennium Bridge is the
world's first and currently only tilting bridge