Beam· Most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the bridge deck
· The ancestor of the beam bridge is the log bridge · These type of bridges carry pedestrians, automobiles, trucks, light rail, heavy rail · Several different subtypes of girder bridges; rolled steel girder bridge, plate girder bridge, concrete girder bridge, box girder bridge and I-beam bridge · Bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic |
Arch· A bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch
· Work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side · Made out of masonry, concrete, wrought iron, cast iron, timber, structural steel · A viaduct may be made from a series of arches, although other more economical structures are typically used today. · This bridge is not movable |
Cantilever· A bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end
· Steel truss cantilever bridge was a major engineering breakthrough when first put into practice, as it can span distances of over 1,500 feet · Can be more easily constructed at difficult crossings by virtue of using little or no falsework. · Made out of Iron, structural steel, prestressed concrete · There are no related bridges to this type of bridge |
Truss· A bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss.
· Truss is a structure of connected elements forming triangular units · These bridges can be movable depending on structure and how they are designed · The oldest types of modern bridges · Short to medium span range unless continuous |
Suspension· A type of bridge in which the deck (the load-bearing portion) is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders
· Made out of steel rope, multiple steel wire strand cables or forged or cast chain links · This type of bridge has cables suspended between towers, plus vertical suspender cables that carry the weight of the deck below, upon which traffic crosses. · The suspension cables must be anchored at each end of the bridge, since any load applied to the bridge is transformed into a tension in these main cables · This bridge type often is constructed without falsework. |
Cable-Stayed· A bridge that consists of one or more columns (normally referred to as towers or pylons), with cables supporting the bridge deck.
· There are two major classes of cable-stayed bridge. · The Russky Bridge, the world's longest cable-stayed bridge · Cable-stayed bridges can be dated back to 1595 · The span range of this bridge is usually medium to long |