1.
Introduction
Definition
A cantilever bridge is a bridge in which the main load-carrying
members project from fixed supports, carrying loads primarily
through bending moments and shear forces.
Balanced Cantilever Bridge
A balanced cantilever bridge is constructed by extending
cantilever segments symmetrically from both sides of a pier,
maintaining static equilibrium until the suspended or closure span
is completed.
Why It Is Used
Suitable where falsework or ground support is impractical,
enabling construction over obstacles with minimal disruption.
Provides high structural efficiency, reduced support reactions,
and economical use of materials for medium to long spans.
Typical Span Range
Balanced Cantilever (RCC/PSC): 100–250 m
Steel Cantilever Bridges: Up to 550 m
2. Need
Limitations of Simply Limitations of Preferred Site
Supported Bridges Continuous Bridges Conditions
• High positive bending • Requires continuous
🌄 Deep Valleys – No
moments increase girder falsework during
tall staging required.
depth and self-weight. construction.
• Susceptible to
• More intermediate 🌊 Wide Rivers –
secondary stresses
piers increase Unobstructed flow and
due to support
foundation cost. navigation.
settlement.
• Complex construction 🚆 Railway Crossings –
• Extensive falsework
sequence and No interruption to rail
needed for erection.
alignment control. traffic.
Limitations of Simply Limitations of Preferred Site
Supported Bridges Continuous Bridges Conditions
Busy Highways –
Minimal traffic
disruption.
Weak Foundation
Conditions – Fewer
piers and foundations.
3. General Arrangement
Key Structural Elements
Cantilever Arms: Rigidly connected to piers and project outward to
support the suspended span through negative bending resistance.
Suspended Span: Simply supported segment between adjacent
cantilever arms, transferring loads to both cantilevers.
Articulation (Hinge): Located near the point of contraflexure to
permit rotation, relieve secondary stresses, and maintain static
determinacy.
Supports: End supports and intermediate piers carry vertical
reactions and transfer structural loads safely to the foundation.
Span Configuration: Consists of alternating cantilever and
suspended spans, optimized to minimize maximum bending
moments and material consumption.
Typical Structural Arrangement
End Span → Cantilever Arm → Suspended Span → Cantilever
Arm → End Span
Common span proportion: x / y = 4–5, where:
o x = Cantilever span
o y = Suspended span
This arrangement reduces the maximum bending moment by
approximately 50% compared to an equivalent simply supported
span, resulting in a more economical and structurally efficient
design.
Figure
Use:
Fig. 14.1 – Types of Balanced Cantilever Bridges
Fig. 14.2 – Typical Balanced Cantilever Bridge
(from your reference book)
4. Components
Component Structural Function
Distributes wheel loads to the longitudinal girders and
Deck Slab
provides the riding surface.
Main Girder / Primary flexural member resisting bending moments,
Box Girder shear forces, and torsion.
Cantilever Fixed projections from the pier supporting the
Arms suspended span through negative moment resistance.
Suspended Simply supported segment transferring loads to adjacent
Span cantilever arms.
Transfer vertical and horizontal loads while permitting
Bearings
controlled rotation and thermal movement.
Hinge Allows rotation without moment transfer, reducing
(Articulation) secondary stresses and ensuring static determinacy.
Distributes superstructure loads uniformly to the
Pier Cap
supporting pier.
Vertical compression member transmitting loads from
Pier
the superstructure to the foundation.
Transfers all structural loads safely to the supporting soil
Foundation
or rock strata.
Expansion Accommodate thermal expansion, creep, shrinkage, and
Joints seismic movements without inducing excessive stresses.
5. Structural Behaviour
Structural Response Under Loading
Dead Load: Self-weight generates negative (hogging) moments
over piers and positive (sagging) moments in the suspended
span, establishing the primary internal force distribution.
Live Load: Moving vehicular loads (IRC loading) produce varying
shear and bending moments; the critical load position governs
maximum design forces.
Bending Behaviour:
o Negative Moment (−M): Cantilever arms over supports
(hogging).
o Positive Moment (+M): Suspended span between
articulations (sagging).
Stress Distribution:
o Compression Zone: Top fibre near pier supports; bottom
fibre at suspended span.
o Tension Zone: Bottom fibre near supports; top fibre at
suspended span (stress reversal).
Load Sharing Mechanism: Vehicle loads on the suspended span
are transferred through the articulations to adjacent cantilever
arms, ensuring balanced force distribution between piers.
Effect of Articulation (Hinge): Hinges permit rotation, prevent
transfer of bending moments across joints, and reduce secondary
stresses caused by settlement and temperature effects.
Animation Suggestion (PPT)
➡️Animate a vehicle moving from the cantilever arm → articulation →
suspended span → opposite cantilever arm while simultaneously
highlighting:
Blue = Compression
Red = Tension
Display changing (+M) and (−M) symbols as the load moves.
This will make the slide much more technical and visually impressive while
remaining easy to explain in about 1–2 minutes.
6. Load Transfer Path
Load Transfer Mechanism
Vehicle Load
↓
Wearing Course
Distributes wheel loads and protects the deck surface.
↓
Deck Slab
Transfers transverse loads to the longitudinal main girders through
flexural action.
↓
Main Girder / Box Girder
Acts as the primary longitudinal load-carrying member, resisting
bending moments and shear forces.
↓
Cantilever Arm
Transfers loads to the pier mainly through negative (hogging)
moments, shear, and axial compression.
↓
Pier
Carries vertical reactions and overturning moments safely to the
foundation.
↓
Foundation
Distributes structural loads to the supporting ground while ensuring
stability against settlement and uplift.
↓
Supporting Soil/Rock
Final load-resisting medium that safely dissipates all applied forces.
Load on Suspended Span
Vehicle loads first induce positive (sagging) bending in the
suspended span.
End reactions are transferred through articulations (hinges) to
the adjacent cantilever arms.
Cantilever arms convert these reactions into negative bending
moments at the pier, which are finally transmitted to the
foundation.
Presenter Tip (1 sentence)
"In a balanced cantilever bridge, the suspended span does not transfer bending
moments through the hinge; it transfers only support reactions, while the
cantilever arms carry the major bending effects to the piers."
This content is compact enough for a single slide while remaining technically
accurate and suitable for a structural engineering audience.
7. Structural Analysis
(a) Free Body Diagram
(b) Support Reactions
(c) Shear Force Diagram (SFD)
(d) Bending Moment Diagram (BMD)
(e) Stress Diagram
Compression
Neutral Axis
Tension
(f) Deflected Shape
8. Stress Distribution
Key Stress Characteristics
Negative (Hogging) Moment at Pier:
Top fibres are in compression, while bottom fibres experience
tension due to fixed-end action.
Positive (Sagging) Moment at Suspended Span:
Top fibres are in compression and bottom fibres are in tension,
similar to a simply supported span.
Stress Reversal:
The transition from negative to positive bending moment
causes reversal of tensile and compressive stresses across the span,
requiring reinforcement/prestressing on both faces.
Critical Stress Zones:
Maximum compressive stresses occur near the pier section,
whereas maximum tensile stresses develop at the cantilever root
and mid-span of the suspended span.
Variable Depth Girder:
Girder depth is maximum near the pier to resist high hogging
moments and shear forces, and gradually reduces towards mid-
span where bending moments decrease, improving structural
efficiency and reducing self-weight.
Figure to Include
Stress distribution diagram showing:
o Compression (red) and tension (blue)
o Negative moment at the pier
o Positive moment in the suspended span
o Variable depth girder profile
9. Variable Depth Girder
Concept
The girder depth is varied along the span to match the bending
moment distribution.
Maximum depth is provided near the pier, while minimum depth
is adopted towards the midspan, resulting in an economical and
structurally efficient design.
Why Deeper Near the Pier?
Resists maximum negative (hogging) bending moment.
Carries high shear forces generated by cantilever action.
Increases section modulus (Z) and moment of inertia (I),
improving strength and stiffness.
Provides sufficient depth for prestressing tendons and
reinforcement anchorage.
Why Shallower at Midspan?
Bending moment and shear reduce away from the pier.
Lower structural demand allows a reduced section.
Decreases dead load, improving span efficiency and reducing
foundation forces.
Moment–Depth Relationship
Maximum Moment → Maximum Girder Depth
Minimum Moment → Minimum Girder Depth
Girder profile generally follows a parabolic (haunched) shape,
closely matching the bending moment envelope.
Shear in Variable Depth Girder (optional)
Shear force is highest near the pier, where the girder is deepest.
As the girder depth decreases towards the midspan, the shear
force also reduces.
The inclined (haunched) girder profile helps distribute shear more
efficiently and improves the bridge's load-carrying capacity.
Proper shear design near the supports is essential to ensure the
safety and durability of the bridge.
Engineering Significance
Optimizes concrete and steel consumption.
Reduces the self-weight of the bridge.
Increases stiffness near the supports.
Improves the overall structural efficiency and economy of balanced
cantilever bridges.
Slide Design (Recommended)
Left (60%)
The content above.
Right (40%)
Fig. 14.4 from your reference book (Variable Depth Girder).
Add three labels:
🔴 Maximum Depth (Pier)
🟢 Minimum Depth (Midspan)
🔵 Parabolic Girder Profile
10. Articulation (Hinge)
What is Articulation?
An articulation (hinge) is the junction between the cantilever
arm and suspended span that transfers vertical shear and
axial forces while releasing bending moments.
Why Hinges are Provided
Eliminates moment transfer between adjacent spans.
Accommodates temperature-induced movements, creep and
shrinkage.
Reduces secondary stresses due to differential settlement.
Simplifies structural analysis by making the system statically
determinate.
Structural Behaviour
Allows Rotation (θ): Free angular rotation under live load and
deformation.
Restricts Vertical Displacement: Ensures continuity of load
transfer.
Permits Limited Translation: Longitudinal movement through
suitable bearings to accommodate thermal expansion.
Bearings Used
Steel rocker bearings
Roller bearings
Elastomeric (Neoprene) pad bearings
Critical Sections
Highest stresses occur near the articulation due to combined:
o Bending Moment (M)
o Shear Force (V)
o Axial/Normal Thrust (N)
Reinforcement detailing is provided along the inclined critical
sections around the hinge to resist these force combinations.
Figure
➡ Fig. 14.5 – Analysis of Critical Sections at Articulation (Insert from
reference book)
11. Advantages & Limitations
Advantages Limitations
✔ Efficient for long-span
✖ Complex structural analysis
bridges
✔ No falsework over obstacles ✖ High initial construction cost
✔ Balanced moment
✖ Prestressing is essential
distribution
✔ Reduced pier moments ✖ Strict construction sequencing
✔ Fewer bearings & joints ✖ Specialized erection equipment
✔ Slender piers & smaller
✖ Skilled workforce required
foundations
✖ Time-dependent effects (creep &
✔ Minimal traffic disruption
shrinkage)
✔ Lower maintenance
✖ Sensitive to erection errors
requirements
12. Real Examples
Forth Bridge (Scotland, 1890) – World's first major steel
cantilever railway bridge.
Howrah Bridge (India, 1943) – Iconic balanced cantilever bridge
over the Hooghly River.
Quebec Bridge (Canada, 1917) – Longest cantilever bridge span
in the world (549 m).