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Education Kit Full

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34 views66 pages

Education Kit Full

Uploaded by

Swaminathan Vivekanantham

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Available Formats

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Rochester Bridge Trust

Learning about Bridges

Let’s learn
about bridges!

The Rochester Bridge Trust was founded

in 1399 to provide a crossing over the
River Medway in Kent. The Trust still
provides free bridges today.
The Trust is passionate about bridge
building and wants to encourage young
people to find out more about bridges
and become as enthusiastic as we are!
Our education kit contains loads of
information, fun activities and interesting
[Link] can work through the whole kit
which contains a school term’s worth of
activities or just try a session or two.
It’s up to you!
Content by Sue Threader BEng CEng MICE 1

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About the Rochester Bridge Trust
The first bridge at Rochester was built by the Romans soon after the invasion of Britain in AD43. Once the
Romans left, their bridge was maintained by the local people of Kent until the 14th century. In 1381, the
River Medway froze solid and, when the thaw came, the ice and floodwater swept away the Roman Bridge.
Two benefactors built a new stone bridge one hundred yards upstream which was opened in September 1391.
Their names were Sir John de Cobham and Sir Robert Knolles. Together the benefactors also persuaded
their friends and acquaintances to make donations of land and money for the perpetual maintenance of
Rochester Bridge. In 1399, King Richard II granted letters patent which allowed the Rochester Bridge Trust
to be set up to care for the bridge and its property. Two Wardens were appointed to manage the bridge.
For the next 457 years, the Wardens looked after the medieval bridge. Major improvements were carried
out by the civil engineer, Thomas Telford, in 1827. However the increase in road and rail traffic as a result
of the industrial revolution meant the stone bridge’s days were numbered.
In 1856, the Trust completed a new cast-iron arch bridge on the line of the original Roman Bridge.
It was designed by Sir William Cubitt who had been the civil engineer for the Crystal Palace built for
the Great Exhibition in 1851. The old medieval bridge was then blown up for the Wardens by the Royal
Engineers using gunpowder.
The Victorian Bridge was reconstructed in 1914 as a bowstring truss and is today known as the Old Bridge.
A second road bridge, the New Bridge was opened to traffic in 1970. Between the two road bridges there
is the Service Bridge which carries pipes and cables across the river.
The Rochester Bridge Trust is a registered charity and still owns and
maintains the two road bridges and the Service Bridge free of
charge to the public. The Trust’s money is derived from the land
and money given by the benefactors in the 14th and 15th
Centuries. It receives no public money, does not charge
tolls and does not raise funds. With any surplus funds,
the Trust supports other charitable projects, primarily
the preservation of historic buildings and
education projects in the field of
engineering, particularly
civil engineering.

Hello! I’m Langdon the Lion, guardian of

Rochester Bridge. Welcome to my Bridges
Education Kit, which was downloaded from
[Link]. You can download all twelve sessions
along with presentation slides, or you can choose individual sessions
with supporting worksheets. If you have any comments about the kit,
please visit our website [Link] where
you will also find lots more resources!
2

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Education Kit Contents
Session 1 – An Introduction to Bridges....................................................................................................4
Map of the River Medway (Handout)...................................................................................................................................................7
Newsflash (Handout)................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Beam Bridge Terminology (Handout)..................................................................................................................................................9
Session 2 – Beam Bridges, Simple but Strong......................................................................................10
Beam Bridge Worksheet (Handout)...................................................................................................................................................13
Session 3 – Loads and Forces.................................................................................................................14
Forces in a Beam Bridge (Handout)..................................................................................................................................................17
Session 4 – Beam Bridges Challenge......................................................................................................18
Bridge Building Challenge (Handout)..............................................................................................................................................23
Session 5 – Truss Bridges (Part 1).........................................................................................................25
Building a Truss Bridge With K’Nex (Handout)........................................................................................................................... 27
Session 6 – Truss Bridges (Part 2)........................................................................................................28
Describing Truss Bridges (Handout).................................................................................................................................................30
Can You Describe These Truss Bridges? (Handout).....................................................................................................................31
Truss Bridge Terminology (Handout)...............................................................................................................................................32
Session 7 – Arch Bridges........................................................................................................................33
Arch Bridge Terminology (Handout)................................................................................................................................................36
Forces in an Arch Bridge (Handout)................................................................................................................................................ 37
Session 8 – Arch Bridges (Part 2).........................................................................................................38
Roman Bridges (Handout)...................................................................................................................................................................42
Session 9 – Materials...............................................................................................................................43
Wooden Bridges (Handout)..................................................................................................................................................................46
Mixing Concrete (Handout).................................................................................................................................................................. 47
Session 10 – Suspension Bridges...........................................................................................................48
Suspension Bridge Terminology (Handout)....................................................................................................................................52
Forces in a Suspension Bridge (Handout)......................................................................................................................................53
Famous Suspension Bridges (Handout)..........................................................................................................................................54
Session 11 – Building Underwater............................................................................................................55
Session 12 – Cable-Stayed Bridges........................................................................................................ 59
Comparing Cable-Stayed & Suspension Bridges (Handout)...................................................................................................62
Cable-Stayed Bridge Terminology (Handout)...............................................................................................................................63
Describing Cable-Stayed Bridges 1 (Handout) ...........................................................................................................................64
Describing Cable-Stayed Bridges 2 (Handout) ..........................................................................................................................65
Forces in a Cable-Stayed Bridge (Handout)................................................................................................................................ 66
3

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Session 1 – An Introduction to Bridges
Aims & Objectives
• To understand what makes a bridge and why we need bridges You Will Need:
• To begin to learn bridge terminology Paper and pencils
• To introduce the Beam Bridge Whiteboard and markers
PowerPoint Presentation A
Laptop, projector & screen
Context HANDOUT: Map of the River Medway
• Bridges are vital to our way of life HANDOUT: Newsflash!
HANDOUT: Beam Bridge Terminology
• Beams are the earliest and simplest form of bridge Map of your local area

Session Activities
Show PowerPoint Presentation A as you lead the following discussion:

1. Why Do We Need Bridges?

• First, show Slides 1 - 3 and ask the
whole group what bridges are for?
Leading to the answer “to get In this session, your
something over or under something students will learn about
else”. Show Slide 4.
• Show Slide 5, “What obstacles
the Beam Bridge and
do bridges cross” and watch the start building their
animation illustrate the obstacle a vocabulary of bridge
bridge might cross (a stream). Show
Slide 9, “What can bridges carry” and terminology.
watch the animation of a vehicle
using a bridge. Introduce the terms
pedestrian and traffic.
• Show Slide 11 of Rochester Bridge as an example. Show
Slide 12 and, in groups, get the children to think of as many
different scenarios as possible in 10 minutes. Ask them to
write down a list of their ideas.
• Show the Slides 13 - 27 of real bridges and ask groups to
say whether they had each scenario on their list.
• Leave PowerPoint Presentation A on Slide 28
and move on to Activity 2. We will return to the
PowerPoint in Activity 3.

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2. How Would We Manage without Bridges?
• Give out the Map of the River Medway (Handout) showing the Medway Tunnel, Rochester Bridge, M2
high level bridge, towns, some distances/travel times and the Newsflash (Handout).
• Ask the children to imagine they live in Strood and go to school in Rochester but one night
Rochester Bridge disappears!
• Brainstorm what effect this would have on their lives.

3. The Language of Bridges

Anyone who has ever placed a log over a stream so they didn’t get their feet wet has built a bridge.
The simplest and oldest type of bridge is the Beam Bridge.
• Give out blank copies of Beam Bridge Terminology (Handout) and Show Slide 28.
• As a group, identify:
Parapet Abutment Pier Span Deck Beam

parapet
beam deck

pier

span
abutment

• Help students to fill in Beam Bridge Terminology (Handout) with the correct terms as shown
below and on Slide 29.

4. The Development of Beam Bridges

Show Slides 30 - 39 and discuss a series of illustrations:
a) The caveman puts a log over a stream – he has built a bridge but it is wobbly and precarious.
b) He turns the log into a plank (i.e. beam) – it is more stable and easier to walk over but it
sinks into the mud in wet weather.
c) He piles up stones under the ends of his beam – he has made abutments. His bridge is
steadier but now it is much higher up and scary in the wind.
5

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d) He makes simple parapet rails out of sticks and vines.
e) Now he knows how to build a good, strong bridge but then he wants
to cross a wider river. The trees are too short. So he piles up stones in the
middle of the river to make a pier. By adding a beam on each side he has
doubled the length of his bridge.
The Longest Beam Bridge span in the world is 300 metres and is part of
the Rio Niterol Bridge in Brazil.

5. Close to Home
Ask the students to look at a map of their local area and find rivers, streams, roads and railway lines.
• Can they find any bridges on the map (usually where roads, rivers or railways cross)?
• Can the students picture what any of the bridges look like and then describe them to the
class?

Research Activity (for home)

Ask students to spot a Beam Bridge in their local [Link] a photo and identify the parapet, abutments
and deck (and piers if it has any).

River Medway

This is a map of the Medway

in Kent, which has three
crossings. Try this activity with
a map of your local area, too!

S
ESSION
1

ESSION

1
S

Can you match

up the words with
the parts of the
bridge?

Beam Parapet Abutment Pier Span Deck

S
ESSION
1

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Session 2 – Beam Bridges, Simple but Strong
Aims & Objectives You Will Need:
• To review and reinforce the language learned in Session 1
A3 card
• To introduce the concept of dead load and live load Pencils
• To challenge students to solve a bridge building problem Ruler or tape measure
using basic engineering principles Large books to build two 30cm high piles for each group
• To work as a team of 4 students (optional)
Large cardboard sheets from old boxes or try
• To work to a brief [Link]
A set of heavy weights (small dumbell weights are ideal.
If you can’t borrow some, try [Link])
Session Activities HANDOUT: Beam Bridge Worksheet

1. Introduction to Loads
Place two tables or desks 40 centimetres apart, and
place a sheet of A3 card across the gap. Explain that this has made a simple beam bridge. Point out
that your cardboard bridge is strong enough to hold up its own weight. In a real bridge the weight of the
bridge is called the dead load. This is because once the bridge is built the dead load stays the same
and does not move about.
Now walk your fingers across the cardboard bridge leaning hard enough to make the bridge bend and
even collapse. That represents the live load. On a real bridge this might be the traffic or a train going
across. The live load moves and changes all the time.
Explain that a bridge engineer needs to work out what the dead load and live load will be and make sure
the bridge is strong enough to carry those loads.

In this session, your students

will explore how the Beam
Bridge responds to loads. Using
corrugated cardboard and weights,
they will explore what makes a
Beam Bridge strong and observe
why it fails.

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2. Testing Beam Bridges
For your convenience, there is an illustrated step-by-step guide on the following pages.
• Brief the children on the safety rules for this activity:
• Weights must be added one at a time slowly and carefully.
• Make sure each weight is securely balanced before the next one
is added.
• The weights must be removed one at a time and not allowed
to fall.
• Care should be taken to keep fingers and feet clear of the pile of
weights.
• For each small group of about 4 children, set up desks or tables with a gap of about 50 to 60
centimetres between the “abutments”.
For safety reasons it may be preferable There must be
to use a pile of large books or blocks of a reason why
solid wall insulation on a carpeted floor
to reduce the risk of the heavy weights the cardboard
falling from any height. If this option is bridge failed.
used, just make sure there is a clearance
of about 30 centimetres under the bridge
to make sure the experiment works
properly.
• Taking each cardboard “beam”
in turn, discuss the way they are
described and explain the meaning
of the terms used. Discuss the terms
“corrugation”, “transverse” and
“longitudinal”.
• Add weights until the Beam Bridge fails by
collapsing or bending so much in the middle it cannot
carry any more weight and almost touches the “river”
beneath the bridge. Record on Experiment Results (Handout)
the final weight each beam carried just before it failed.
• Encourage the children to observe how the bridge failed. Did
it just keep bending more and more? Did it fail by creating a
straight line in the cardboard – engineers might describe this as
a “hinge” forming – compare it to the hinge on the classroom
door. What condition is the beam in after failure? Does it spring
back to its original shape so that it could be used again? Or has it
failed completely so that it could not carry so much weight again?

Create the abutments using blocks Add a cardboard beam with The cardboard bridge has failed
of wall insulation, or a pile of transverse corrugation (in the because a “hinge” has formed!
large books, on a carpeted floor. direction shown by the ruler).

4 5 6

Add a cardboard beam with The cardboard bridge has failed but Add a cardboard beam with
longitudinal corrugation (in the a “hinge” has not formed in this an arched piece of cardboard
direction shown by the ruler). case. This bridge should be able to underneath.
carry more load than the first one.

7 8

The arch-beam combo holds But with a heavier load the bridge
the load. Should be able to carry fails. Hinges have formed in the
more load than either of the arch and the beam.
other bridges.

Beam Type Maximum Load (Weight) How It Failed?

Transverse
Corrugation

Longitudinal
Corrugation

Arch and Beam

Combined

Can you figure out WHY your Beam Bridge

has failed? This is an important part of
S being an engineer!
ESSION
2

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Session 3 – Loads and Forces
Aims & Objectives
You Will Need:
• To understand the forces that act in bridges
A3 card
• To recognise and describe tension and compression
Toy car
• To show that forces must be balanced for a bridge to stand up Laptop, projector & screen
“Slinky®” spring
Large sponge, marked along one side
Session Activities with lines 1 inch apart
Range of everyday materials, e.g.
1. Compression & Tension string, elastic bands, small tower of
Remind students that: Lego® bricks, uncooked spaghetti,
• Dead load is the bridge’s own weight which does not change or bread rolls, building blocks, stickle
move; and live load is mainly the weight of what the bridge is bricks, cardboard tubes
carrying and moves and changes constantly. Large book
HANDOUT: Forces in a Beam Bridge
Explain that these loads cause forces inside the bridge:
• Tension: Using a “Slinky” spring, pull from each
side. This force is tension which always tries Now that your students
to make things longer. Think of it as a stretching understand loads, you can
force. Ask the children to hold hands in pairs and start exploring the forces
pull. Feel the tension. that act on every bridge.
• Compression: Using a sponge, push down hard.
This force is compression which always tries
to make things shorter or smaller. Think of it as a squashing force. Ask
the children, in pairs, to put palms of hands together and push.
Feel the compression.
• Divide the children into groups and ask them to examine a series of
everyday objects. Are they stronger under
tension, compression or both?
• Try string, elastic bands, a small tower made of
Lego® bricks, uncooked spaghetti, bread rolls, building
blocks, stickle bricks and cardboard tubes.

Tension Compression 14

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2. The Balance of Forces
• Place a large book on the desk. It is at rest because gravity, the force that pulls objects towards the
centre of the earth, pulls down on it as much as the table pushes up on it. The forces are balanced.
• Push the book horizontally across the table. The book moves across the table. It is no longer at rest
because the forces are not in balance any more. How do we get the forces balanced again?
• Either push with an equal force in the opposite direction; or
• Apply a pulling force in the opposite direction to the push (taking care not to allow the book
to rotate).

Ask the children to stand up in pairs facing each other with palms together to form a “human bridge”.
• Ask them to feel how much they need to push to make their bridge balanced, strong and steady.
• Ask them to try this standing back-to-back and leaning their weight against each other. If they can
balance their forces, their “bridge” will stand still and not move. If the forces are NOT in balance,
their bridge – and indeed any bridge – will fail!
• Ask the children to hold hands and lean out until they achieve balance. Encourage them to feel the
tension in their arms.

Tension Compression

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3. Forces in a Beam Bridge
• Place two tables or desks about 40 centimetres apart and place a sheet of A3 card across the gap to
make a simple Beam Bridge. Place a toy car in the centre to act as the live load.
• Ask the children whether there is any tension in the Beam Bridge. If so, where is it coming from?
• Take the sponge with vertical lines on. Bend it like a Beam Bridge carrying a heavy live load.
Observe that the lines at the top are closer together – so what is the force? Compression
• Observe that the lines at the bottom get further apart – so what is the force? Tension
• So there is tension in the beam of a Beam Bridge.
• Look at Forces in a Beam Bridge (Handout) of the forces in a Beam Bridge and discuss.
• Discuss how an engineer might try to cope with these forces to make a Beam Bridge really strong.

The forces in a Beam Bridge can be The forces in a Beam Bridge.

demonstrated visually using a large sponge,
marked along the sides. When a force is applied
from above, the top of the sponge shows
compression and the bottom of the
sponge shows tension.

Compression
Tension Hmmm... remember
that Compression is
the ‘squashing’ force
and Tension is the
‘pulling apart’ force.

S
ESSION
3

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Session 4 – Beam Bridges Challenge
Aims & Objectives You Will Need:
• To experiment with loads on a beam bridge to PowerPoint Presentation B
understand what makes them strong and what makes Laptop, projector & screen
them fail. 2 chairs or tables (for your “Testing Zone”)
HANDOUT: Bridge Building Challenge
For each group of 2 to 3 children:
Context • Ruler
Understanding how bridges fail is an important part of learning • 1 metre of sticky tape (or 1 pack of Scotch® pop-up
how to make them stronger. tape per group)
• 6 sheets of A4 paper
Session Activity
• Scissors
A further 3 sheets of A4 paper per group for
1. Paper Bridge Challenge modifications after testing
Whiteboard & markers (to record each team’s attempt)
Show PowerPoint Presentation B as you lead the following activity. Mars Bars or exercise books
For your convenience, there is an illustrated step-by-step solution Certificate
guide on the following pages.
• Set up a “testing zone” by Challenge your students to
placing two chairs or tables 40
centimetres apart.
make strongest bridge they can
with paper and sticky tape! The
• Divide the students into groups
of 2 to 3. Each group needs a
team with the strongest bridge
ruler, 1 metre of sticky tape, will receive my certificate of
6 sheets of A4 paper, scissors bridge building mastery.
and a Bridge Building Challenge
(Handout). No other materials can
be used.
• Give the groups 10 minutes to discuss and
plan how they are going to make their
bridge the strongest.
• Give the groups 30 minutes to build
the strongest bridge they can. Do not
give the children any guidance at this
stage; let them explore the possibilities for themselves.
• When the time is up, invite each team to bring their bridge to the
testing zone. Load the bridges up with Mars Bars / exercise books.
When the bridge collapses, count the number of Mars Bars / exercise
books it was carrying just before it fell (i.e. do not count the last one).
• Write up the teams’ scores on the whiteboard.

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• Why did the bridge fail? Ask the children to observe the way the bridge failed. It is important that
students consider the weaknesses of their bridges and then think of solutions to how they could be
improved (e.g. did it fold? At which part? What could be done to reinforce that point?).
• After the students’ first attempts have been tested and discussed, you can then lead them, step-by-
step, through one possible solution which gives a good result. See the following pages for an example
solution. Show Power Point Presentation C Slides 5 - 15 or demonstrate this solution with the
materials by hand. Reinforce that this is not the only solution; students should try to apply what they
have learnt rather than entirely copying the example.
• Give the teams 3 more sheets of paper and 5 to 10 minutes to make modifications and test them
again to see if they can better their scores. This is important as “learning from experience” is an
important engineering process.
• The winning team is the one whose bridge holds the highest number of Mars Bars / exercise books.
• Give certificates to the winning team and distribute the Mars Bars or other small gifts as consolation
prize if you wish.

Hints and Tips

The key to this challenge is to find a way to make the paper as stiff as [Link] can be achieved by rolling the
paper into tubes or folding into a concertina [Link] weakest part of the paper bridge will be the joints between the
tubes or folded sections. Encourage the students to reinforce the joints as much as possible. Every part of the paper
bridge should contribute to making it as strong as [Link] to encourage the students to think about how each
piece of paper contributes to the strength of the bridge.
Instead of 1 metre of sticky tape, you may find it more convenient to use dispensers of pre-cut sticky tape strips.

Set up a “testing zone” by MATERIALS: TO MAKE TWO BEAMS:

placing two chairs or tables 6 sheets of A4 paper, 1 metre of Place 2 sheets of paper over each
40 centimetres apart. tape, scissors and a ruler other so the corners overlap.

4 5 6

Roll the sheets into each other, Repeat the process to make Bend each beam approximately
ensuring that the total length of 2 tubes (‘beams’) which are each 5 centimetres from each end.
the tube is 55 centimetres. 55 centimetres in length.

7 8 9

Tuck the ends of one beam into The result is a rectangle Take the remaining 2 sheets of
the ends of the other beam. made of your beams. paper and cut in half lengthwise.
Tape together.

Set aside 1 strip to use as the MAKE 3 SECONDARY BEAMS: Fold one beam in half;
deck; the other 3 strips will be Roll up each strip to make a tube. leave the other two beams straight.
used for secondary beams. Tape to secure each beam.

13 14 15

Attach the secondary beams to Attach the secondary beams to Attach the secondary beams to
the main beam and secure the main beam and secure the main beam and secure
with tape. with tape. with tape.

16 17 18

Your beam is almost ready! Find the strip that you set aside Tape the strip to the beam.
in Step 10 and cut it lengthwise.
It’s going to be the deck!

Now it’s time to test your bridge! Load your bridge with Mars Bars, See how many Mars Bars you can
Place it in your testing zone. placing them evenly put onto your bridge before it
on your deck. collapses.

22 23

When it collapses, you can see the Make adjustments and then try
weak points and make adjustments again. See if you can build a
by adding more tape. stronger bridge!

Why Are Circular Tubes So Strong?

Tubes are strong because they are difficult to [Link] folding one piece of A4 paper like a fan and rolling
another piece of A4 paper into a tube.
Which one is more difficult to bend?
The rolled piece of paper is much more difficult to [Link] is because tubes have both rigidity and depth.
As you increase the diameter of the tube it gets weaker/easier to [Link] is because the paper becomes less
curved or flatter and the number of layers of paper decreases.

Why Is the Type and Location of Connections Important?

Connections are often the weakest point in a bridge.
The highest forces in a bridge are generally at the centre of the bridge or at the point where they meet the
abutment (in this example the table). It is important that weak connections are avoided at these locations.

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Bridge Building Challenge (Handout)
Using only the materials provided you must build a bridge of your own design to span a gap of 40 centimetres and test its
strength by loading it with weights.

Rules:
• The bridge must span the 40-centimetre gap and support
itself without anything else holding it.
• The bridge may NOT be taped to the table.
• The weights must sit on the bridge above the gap and not
directly above the table.
• Your bridge will be tested to see how much weight your
bridge can carry. The winning team will receive a prize and a
certificate!

Hint:
• Try rolling or folding the paper Materials:
to make it stronger. • 6 sheets of ordinary A4 paper • Scissors
• 1 metre of sticky tape • Centimetre Ruler
Win or lose, it’s important
to understand WHY your
S bridge failed!
ESSION
4

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Session 5 – Truss Bridges (Part 1)
Aims & Objectives
• To understand that triangles are the strongest shape for building You Will Need:
bridges PowerPoint Presentation C
• To show how triangles can be used to make stronger bridges Laptop, projector & screen
For each pair of children:
• To introduce the Truss Bridge
• 7 identical lengths of card with a hole
punched in each end (30 centimetres x 3
centimetres)
• 1 longer piece of card which will fit across the
diagonal (43 centimetres x 3 centimetres)
• 7 paper fasteners
A K’nex® set, preferably the K’nex® Education
“Bridges – Introduction to Structures” set per
group of 4 children
HANDOUT: Building a Truss Bridge With K’Nex

It can be difficult to design beam

bridges that are strong enough to
carry railways so engineers often
use Truss Bridges.
Context
Truss Bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridge and were widely used throughout the 19th century,
especially for railway [Link] are very economical to construct because they make efficient use of materials.
Initially they were built using timber but gradually iron and steel came to be used. It is relatively straightforward for
engineers to calculate the forces in a Truss Bridge.

Session Activities
1. How Can Shapes Make a Bridge Strong?
Show the children PowerPoint Presentation C of images of structures from around the world. Ask the children if
they notice anything that is similar about the structures. Lead the children to see that all the structures include a
combination of triangle shapes.
• In pairs, ask the children to make a square from four strips of card of the same length and some paper
fasteners. When they have made their squares, get them to hold
the square with one side resting on the table and pushing or pulling
on any side of it. They will see that the square immediately loses its
shape and becomes a diamond. It is not a rigid shape.

• Next, get the children to make a triangle (with equal sides) in the same way. When they push or pull
25

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the sides, they will see that the triangle holds its shape. Triangles do not
twist, bend or collapse easily in comparison with rectangles and other
shapes. A triangle, is the only shape that cannot be pushed or pulled
out of shape without changing the length of one of its sides. It is a rigid
shape.

• Now get the children to think about how the square could be made stronger. Encourage them to
add one strip of card across the diagonal of the square and fasten it
with the paper fasteners. Again, get them to test the shape to see how
much strong it has become by making it into two triangles.

2. Exploring Truss Bridges

For your convenience, there is an illustrated guide on the following page.
• In groups of 3 to 4 children, construct a simple Beam Bridge using K’nex® (3 deck slabs).
• Push gently on the centre and show this is a strong structure.
• In groups, extend the Beam Bridges to 5 deck slabs.
• Again, push gently on the centre. Notice that the long bridge is much more “bendy” in the middle and
not as strong as the short bridge.
• Lead the children in a discussion about the limitations of Beam Bridges. They are great for short
distances, but what if you want to span a longer distance? As they get longer, Beam Bridges get
weaker.
• How can we make it stronger? Ask what is the strongest shape? (Answer: The Triangle.)
• Explain that a bridge made of triangles in this way is called a Truss Bridge. In groups, use the 5 deck
slab bridge and add triangles to build different models of truss (one per group). There are lots of
different ways to arrange the triangles. Some ideas are given in the K’nex® pack or you could ask the
children to experiment.

with three deck slabs.

Beam Bridge made from K’nex®

much longer beam!

truss, I can make a
Hmm... when I add a
Truss Bridge made from K’nex® with five deck slabs.
with five deck slabs.
Beam Bridge made from K’nex®

5
ESSION
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Session 6 – Truss Bridges (Part 2)
Aims & Objectives
• To explore the Truss Bridge in more detail You Will Need:
• To learn the terminology of Truss Bridges HANDOUT: Truss Bridge Terminology
Internet access
HANDOUT: Describing Truss Bridges
Context HANDOUT: Can You Describe These
Truss Bridges?
Once civil engineers learnt that triangle shapes could be used to build strong
Truss Bridges, they experimented with lots of different designs.

There are many different

Session Activities types of Truss Bridge, each
1. The Language of Bridges named after the engineer (or
• Use Truss Bridge Terminology (Handout) place) where it originated.
to learn the names of the different parts
of a Truss Bridge.
• Give out blank copies of Truss Bridge Terminology (Handout).
• As a group, identify:
Abutment Span Truss Pier Deck

• Help students to fill in Truss Bridge Terminology (Handout) with the correct
terms.

truss
deck

pier

span
abutment

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2. Types of Truss Bridge
• Almost every combination of triangles was used in Truss Bridges from 1800 to 1900. Look at
Describing Truss Bridges (Handout) for lots of examples. Each design has a name, usually after the
first person to build that shape, or the place where it was first tried or sometimes using a description
of the shape itself.
• The way engineers describe Truss Bridges is based on the arrangement of the parts of the truss.
Discuss Describing Truss Bridges (Handout) to understand the names for the main types.
• Use Can You Describe These Truss Bridges? (Handout) to try to identify the type of truss used in
some real bridges using the proper terminology.
• Using the internet, find some pictures of other Truss Bridges around the world and see if you can

Answers:
A - Baltimore Truss B - Warren Truss
C - Pratt Truss D - Warren Truss

identify their type.

Challenge your students to Challenge

Ask the students to spot a Truss Bridge in their local
spot Truss Bridges in your area. Take a photo and identify the parts using the correct
terminology. What type of Truss Bridge is it?
area. Once you start looking
for them, it’s surprising how
many you’ll see!

Truss Bridges are usually

named after the person who
designed them or the place
where they originated. Study
Warren Truss Howe Truss this handout and then see how
many truss bridges you can
One of the most common types of truss. Made up of equilateral The diagonal members slope up towards the centre and are in compression.
find in your area!
triangles. Patented in 1848 by its designer James Warren. The vertical parts are in tension. Patented in 1840 by millwright William Howe.

Pratt Truss Baltimore Truss

The opposite of a Howe [Link] diagonal members slope down This is based on the Pratt Truss but with additional bracing in the lower
towards the [Link] vertical parts are in [Link] type section of the truss to make it [Link] type of truss was developed in
of truss can be used for spans up to about 75 metres and is very the 1870s and is mainly used for train bridges which need to be very strong.
common in the US. Patented in 1844 by Thomas and Caleb Pratt.

Bowstring Truss
This is the form of truss used on Rochester Old Bridge. Although it is a
similar shape to an arch bridge it is doesn’t work in the same way. See
Lenticular Truss
the similarities with the Pratt Truss. Patented in 1841 by Squire Whipple. The name of this bridge comes from its shape which is like a lens you might
find in a telescope or the human [Link] most famous lenticular truss bridge
is the Royal Albert Bridge near Plymouth which was designed by Isambard
S Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1859.
ESSION
6

A B

Challenge yourself
to describe the
trusses on these
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. bridges. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Ontario, Canada Massachusetts, USA

C D

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Puente Tacuarembo, Uruguay Sidcup, Kent
S
ESSION
6

Can you match up the

words with the parts
of the bridge? You’ll
see that your bridge
vocabulary is growing!

Abutment Span Truss Pier Deck

S
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6

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Session 7 – Arch Bridges
Aims & Objectives
You Will Need:
• To introduce the Arch Bridge
PowerPoint Presentation D
• To learn that one way to make bridges stronger is to dissipate Laptop, projector & screen
the forces HANDOUT: Arch Bridge Terminology
HANDOUT: Forces in an Arch Bridge
Context
Eventually, every Beam Bridge will fail,
Arches can be seen all around us. Gates, doors and
so engineers have developed different
windows are often shaped like [Link] is because
types of bridges for different purposes.
an arch is considered to be one of the most beautiful
In this session, your students will learn
shapes to build with and it is certainly one of the
about Arch Bridges and why they were
[Link] the arch was first introduced in ancient
used in certain situations.
times, it was a great leap forward. Before the arch there
were mostly beam bridges but building their piers in
water was hard and it could be difficult for boats to pass underneath.
The Arch Bridge solved the problem because it could be built higher
than the Beam Bridge, allowing tall boats to pass underneath.

Session Activities
1. Introducing the Arch Bridge
• In pairs, ask the children to form a “human arch” by standing facing each other
with their palms together. Encourage them to identify that the force they are
feeling is compression.
• Ask them to gradually increase the span by moving their feet further apart until
“failure”. Encourage them to express the view that there is a limit to how long
the span of an arch can be.

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• Ask the children to think about how they might be able to make their longer arches stand up.
Encourage them to realise that if they place a firm object at the base, i.e. an abutment, then the
arch will reach further. In groups of 4 it is possible to make a human Arch Bridge which is longer
than a pair of children can make alone.

2. The Language of Bridges

Use Arch Bridge Terminology (Handout) and PowerPoint Presentation D to learn the names of the
different parts of an Arch Bridge.
• Give out blank copies of Arch Bridge Terminology (Handout).
• As a group, identify:
Abutment Deck Parapet Keystone Span Voussoirs

• Help students to fill in Arch Bridge Bridge Terminology (Handout) with the correct terms.
• Look at the real examples in Slides 6 -14 and discuss the different features using the correct
terminology

parapet

deck keystone

voussoirs

abutment
span

3. Understanding the Forces of an Arch Bridge

Remind the children about tension and compression.
• Ask them what the main force is in an arch.
• Is there any tension?
34

• An Arch Bridge is stronger than a Beam Bridge Compression

Keystone
Voussoir

Abutment
because, instead of pushing straight down, the load in an
Arch Bridge is carried along the curve of the arch to

LIVE LOAD
the strong supports (abutments) at each end. The load on the top of the keystone
makes each voussoir on the arch of
the bridge push on (compress) the
• The force is spread out or dissipated through the voussoir next to it. This happens
until the forces reaches the end
structure of the bridge. abutments which are built into
the ground.
• Using Slides 15 - 18 and Forces in an Arch Bridge
(Handout), discuss how this works.
The ground around the abutments
is squeezed and pushes back
(compresses) the abutments.

The abutments push back onto

the voussoirs which pass the
4. More Arches force back along the arch to the
keystone which supports the load.

Using the internet, find some pictures of arches around

the world whether used for bridges or other structures
(e.g. gates, doorways, buildings).
Now your students know that the Arch is not only beautiful, it is
also very strong thanks to the way it dissipates the forces. Since
the Romans developed it, it has been used across the world in
bridges, doorways, gates, and buildings. Even the dome is a form
of arch! Challenge your students to find examples of arches around
the world, and within your local area. You may want to make it a
competition – with a prize for the student who finds for the most
different uses of the Arch, or the number of countries where they
found examples of the Arch, or the oldest arch, and so on.

Can you match up the

words with the parts
of the bridge? You’ll
see that your bridge
vocabulary is
growing again!

Abutment Deck Parapet Keystone Span Voussoirs

S
ESSION
7

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KEY
Compression Voussoir

Keystone Abutment

LIVE LOAD
The load on the top of the
keystone makes each voussoir on
the arch of the bridge push on
(compress) the voussoir next to
it. This happens until the forces

Duplication is permitted for educational use only.

reaches the end abutments
which are built into the ground.

The ground around the abutments

is squeezed and pushes back
(compresses) the abutments.

The abutments push back onto

the voussoirs which pass the
force back along the arch to the
keystone which supports the load.

There’s no tension in an
Arch Bridge! The only force
is compression, which the
arch dissipates into the
abutment. That’s why Arch
Bridges are so strong.
ESSION

7
S
Session 8 – Arch Bridges (Part 2)
Aims & Objectives You Will Need:
• To build an Arch Bridge HANDOUT: Roman Bridges
Arch Building Kit
Context
The Romans specialised in the use of Arch [Link] joined For the Roman Style Arch Bridge:
them together to make long road bridges called viaducts and sometimes For each group of 2 to 4 children:
Large Cylinder
placed them on top of each other to make aqueducts to carry water
Play-Doh® or modelling clay
over the [Link] arches were so strong and useful that some Roman Stones or pebbles of a similar size
Arch Bridges still survive today. See Roman Bridges (Handout) for Sheet of cardboard or newspaper to protect
examples. the table

Session Activities
In this session, your
1. Exploring Arch Bridges
• The Romans realised that to build an students will learn how
Arch Bridge they would first have the Romans built the
to build some wooden supports
called centring. The centring
Arch, and they will build
was a bit like modern scaffolding. an Arch themselves.
• Once the centring was complete,
they could start to add the specially shaped stones called
voussoirs. Each voussoir is shaped like a wedge and its name
comes from an old word which means “to turn”.
• The stone in the middle of the arch is called the keystone
and is the most important part. It acts like a key to “lock” the
other stones together.
Without the keystone the arch
would collapse. Only once the
keystone had been put in place
could the Romans remove the
centring.
• Look at Roman Bridges (Handout)
for examples. Try to name the
different features of some of the
famous Arch Bridges using the
correct terminology.

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2. Build an Arch, Roman Style
This activity can be completed individually or in groups of 2 to 4 children
• Each group needs a large cylinder (Pringles® tube or similar is ideal), some
Play-Doh® or modelling clay, a number of stones or pebbles of a similar size (these can be bought
from builders’ merchants or garden centres), and something to protect the table surface such as a
sheet of cardboard or newspaper.
• The tube is used as centring. Using the clay as mortar, help the children to fit the pebbles
together over the centring to form the Arch Bridge.
• Remove the centring.
• If air-dry clay and a cardboard base are used then the bridges should be stable enough to be taken
home or displayed.

3. Build an Arch from a Kit

• Ask the children to build an arch with and Arch Building Kit. For local schools, a kit is available
to borrow from the Rochester Bridge Trust. Small arch kits are made by Montessori and can be
purchased from [Link]
• Encourage the children to work out how to build a strong and stable bridge using the pieces
provided. Test the strength of the bridge by applying a load to the top; and its weakness by removing a
piece from underneath.
• Encourage them to realise that an Arch Bridge is very weak until it is complete and the need to build
centring to hold it up during construction means engineers have to build this type of bridge twice.
• In small teams, have a competition to see which group can construct a stable
Arch Bridge most quickly.

The arch building kit with centring Stand the widest piece up on a flat Place the arched piece on top of
surface. Add the supports for the the supports. This will act as the
centring between the two sides. centring.

4 5 6

Place the individual voussoirs on Add the final middle piece. This is Remove the centring and
top of the centring one-by-one the keystone. the supports. You now have a
from the outside-in. freestanding arch bridge!

Stand the Montessori arch Add the support for the centring Place the arched piece on top of
building kit base on a flat surface. in the center of the the gap. the support. This will act as
the centring.

4 5 6

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Pont Flavien, St Chamas, France – 1st Century BC Alcantara Bridge, Spain – 1st Century AD
We Romans figured out how
to make a centring, which
supported the Arch until we
put the cornerstone in. You
can still see Roman arches,
viaducts and aquaducts
across the world.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France – 1st Century AD

S
ESSION
8

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Session 9 – Materials
Aims & Objectives You Will Need:
• To learn about the main materials which are used to build bridges
HANDOUT: Real Life Examples of
• To understand how concrete is made Wooden Bridges
HANDOUT: Mixing Concrete
Large bundle of drinking straws held
Session Activities together in 2 places by elastic bands
A weight (a book will do nicely)
1. Bridge Building Materials Concrete
Brainstorm a list of materials which could be used for bridge building. Mixing bowls
• Materials which are available to engineers include: wood; stone; Safety glasses
bricks; various metals such as cast iron, wrought iron, steel and Safety masks
aluminium; concrete; and modern materials such as glass-reinforced Plastic gloves
plastic. Newspaper / plastic

2. Wooden Bridges
Encourage a discussion about the use of wood as a bridge building You can use straws to
material demonstrate the strengths and
• Wood was one of the earliest materials used in weaknesses of using wood as a
structures, and it is still in use today. material for building bridges.
• Wood grows in many forms from lightweight balsa wood
to very dense iron wood.
• Properly used and treated, wood can be strong and durable, with a life
measured in hundreds of years.
• Wood can be attacked by insects and fungus unless it is carefully treated.
• Wood is a natural material. Historically engineers had to work with
relatively short pieces limited by the height and straightness of trees.
• More recently, engineers have developed the technique of
gluing together thin layers of wood to form very long and
wide beams, which can even be made into curved shapes.
This process is called lamination.
• Nowadays wood is mainly used only for footbridges with relatively short spans,
although laminated wood bridges can be much longer.
• Wood had different strengths in different directions. Explain that the trunk of
a tree is like a bundle of drinking straws. Cells run in tubes along the length of
the trunk and support the weight of the tree and carry the sap to the leaves.
Show that the bundle of straws is strong if you stand it up and push down hard
on the open end (compression) and strong if you hold both ends and pull it
along the length of the straws (tension). Show that it is easy to crush the
straws out of shape by pushing on them from the side or pulling the straws apart.
43

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Wood is weaker when the load is placed on side of the tubes. Wood is stronger when the load is placed on top of the
The load causes a hinge and the beam fails. tubes. The load compresses the tubes.

• When engineers are using wood for bridge building they need to make sure that the main forces are
travelling along the wooden beams.
• Look at Examples of Wooden Bridges (Handout) for some examples of bridges built using wood.

3. Iron Bridges
• Iron comes from special rocks in the ground called iron ore. When iron ore is heated with some
charcoal to very high temperatures, the metal iron is released.
• Iron is less brittle than stone. It is less likely to split and crack.
• Compared to wood, iron is extremely strong.
• It is easy to shape iron into various forms using quite simple tools.
• The main disadvantage of iron is rust but this can be prevented by
regular painting or galvanising which means coating the iron
with another metal called zinc.
• There are three main types of iron that were used to
build bridges:
• Wrought Iron is iron mixed Not only do engineers
with a very small amount have to decide which type
of another element called of bridge will be best,
carbon. Carbon is used to they need to decide which
make the inside of ordinary material will work best too!
writing pencils. The word
“wrought” means “worked”. To
make wrought iron, the mixture of iron and carbon must be heated,
squashed and beaten flat over and over again. A blacksmith can then
bend the wrought iron into whatever shape is needed because it is
very malleable (or flexible).
• Cast Iron usually has more carbon and other impurities mixed
in. It is shaped by heating the iron until it becomes a liquid and then
pouring it into a cast or mould.

4. Steel Bridges
• Steel is another metal made from a mixture of iron and 44

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carbon. It contains much less carbon than wrought iron or cast iron and this makes it stronger and easier to
shape.
• Before the 1850s, steel was very expensive and difficult to [Link] was only produced in small quantities
and used mainly for tools, cutlery and swords. Then an English engineer called Henry Bessemer invested
a new way of making steel more cheaply. Engineers realised that steel had greater strength and would last
longer.
• The first major bridge made of steel was the Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River in the USA which was
completed in 1874. Today, steel is the most common metal used for building bridges.

5. Making Concrete
This activity is very interesting and exciting for primary age children and is easy to manage safely as long as some
basic precautions are followed.
• Safety first!
• Cement is an alkali which can cause skin burns if not handled
very carefully.
• Children helping with the mixing should wear safety glasses, masks and plastic gloves.
• Take care when mixing to avoid creating dust.
• Do not wash spare concrete or cement down the sink or into drains as it will harden in the pipes.
• This activity is best done outside if possible in case of spillages.
• Cover benches or tables with newspaper or plastic sheeting.
• Follow the instructions on Mixing Concrete (Handout).

Photo courtesy of Cristina Ruiz Cortina. Photo courtesy of AchterboschZantman.

Wooden truss bridge over a river Laminated wood road bridge, Sneek, Netherlands

Wood is a very
common material for
bridges, and you can
find lots of wooden
bridges on the internet.

Wooden truss bridge, Gainesville, Georgia, USA

S
ESSION
9

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Mixing Concrete (Handout)
Instructions You Will Need:
3 x 125 gram Yogurt pots
SAFETY FIRST! Plastic spoons
• Cover your working surface with newspaper or plastic sheeting. Water in jugs or plastic bottles
Sand
• Put on safety glasses, gloves and a mask. Cement
1. Check you are wearing your safety glasses, gloves and mask. Label your mould with your Fine Gravel
Large disposable bowls with capacity of at least 1 litre (try £1 shops for these)
group name.
Cardboard mould (3 centimetres x 3 centimetres x 20 centimetres) – toothpaste
2. Using the yogurt pots, measure out sand, gravel and cement into the mixing bowl. Mix the boxes with one long side removed are ideal
dry ingredients together with a plastic spoon until it is well combined. Take care not to Large plastic bin bag
create dust when measuring out and stirring the ingredients.
3. Add a little water and carefully stir the mixture. Keep adding a little water at a time until the mixture is sloppy but your spoon leaves
a hole when you take it out. Remember not to add too much water as it can’t be removed if the mixture becomes too runny.
4. When the mixture is ready, scrape it carefully into the mould. There should be enough mixture to fill the mould within about 0.5
centimetre of the top.
5. Place the used yogurt pots, spoons, bowls and any spare mixture in the bin bag for disposal. Remove the newspaper and plastic
sheeting. Pull off the gloves inside out and place in the bin bag.
6. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
7. Allow the concrete to set and cure in a safe place for at least a week.

Options for Concrete Mixing:

• Each group can make the same concrete mix by using 2 pots of sand, 2 pots of gravel and 2 pots of cement;
Or, try out different mixes to see which makes the strongest concrete:
• Group 1: 1 pot sand, 3 pots gravel, 2 pots cement • Group 3: 1 pot sand, 2 pots gravel, 3 pots cement
• Group 2: 3 pots sand, 1 pot gravel, 2 pots cement • Group 4: 3 pots sand, 2 pots gravel, 1 pot cement
• The beams can be tested by adding weights until they collapse.
S
ESSION
9

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Session 10 – Suspension Bridges
Aims & Objectives You Will Need:
• To show how transferring loads can make a bridge stronger
Internet Access
• To introduce the Suspension Bridge PowerPoint Presentation E
Laptop, projector & screen
“Slinky®” spring
Context Sponge
A Suspension Bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is HANDOUT: Suspension Bridge Terminology
hung below suspension main cables on vertical hangers. HANDOUT: Forces in a Suspension Bridge
The Suspension Bridge was developed by engineers to cross HANDOUT: Famous Suspension Bridges
long distances without needing extra piers. Although Suspension For the human suspension bridge:
Bridges are spectacular and beautiful structures, they are expensive • 2 ropes 4 metres long (or a single rope
and complex to build. about 6 metres long). Tug of war ropes are
ideal or low cost rope can be obtained from
builders’ merchants.
In this session our budding civil Local area map
engineers will learn about Suspension
Bridges. Suspension Bridges can
dissipate forces very effectively, which is
why they can span such long distances.
Session Activities
1. Revision of Tension & Compression
Tension: also known as a pulling force. Use the Slinky and
pull – it tends to stretch and make things longer.
Compression: also known as pushing force. Demonstrate
using a large sponge and push – it tends to squash and make
things smaller.
Remind the students that when an engineer is designing a bridge,
he or she must first understand how different loads will put
forces on the bridge. Then they must find a way to balance the
forces.
Where the load is likely to exceed the strength, a bridge
will fail.
Discuss this example:
An engineer needs to build a bridge across an estuary which
is over 1 kilometre wide. The water is very deep and is used
by large boats to reach a port upstream.
48

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Discuss the problems which would be caused by using a Beam Bridge or Truss Bridge. (The length
of each span of a Beam Bridge is limited to about 300 metres; the addition of extra spans requires
more piers which obstruct the shipping lanes). Discuss whether an Arch Bridge would be suitable?
(The maximum span of an Arch Bridge is about 500 metres). The engineer needs to find a different
type of bridge!

2. Introduction to Suspension Bridges

We have learnt that beam bridges become weaker as they become longer. We have seen that
engineers can dissipate some of the load by adding triangles (the Truss Bridge) or by changing the
shape (the Arch Bridge).
If we want a very long bridge we need to find a way to transfer load from the weak middle of the
beam to somewhere stronger. The best way to construct very long bridges is the Suspension
Bridge.
Ask the children if they know what the word “suspend” means, leading to the answer that it means to
hang something up. In a Suspension Bridge, the deck hangs from hangers joined to a long main
cable strung between towers.
The earliest Suspension Bridges were made of twisted grass or even yak skin.

3. The Language of Suspension Bridges

Show Slides 4 - 5 and fill out Suspension Bridge Terminology (Handout), noting that some words are the
same as for other types of bridges but that some terms just apply to Suspension Bridges.
• Give out blank copies of Suspension Bridge Terminology (Handout).
• As a group, identify:
Span Deck Tower Main Cable Hanger Pier Anchor

• Help students to fill in Suspension Bridge Terminology (Handout) with the correct terms.

main cable
tower

deck hanger

span
anchor pier

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4. Forces in a Suspension Bridge
Show the children this video about Clifton Suspension Bridge to explain how the forces in a
Suspension Bridge work: [Link]
Give out Forces in a Suspension Bridge (Handout) and look at Slide 7 and discuss it in the light of the video.
The longest Beam Bridge span in the world is about 300 metres long; most Beam Bridges spans
are less than 75 metres long. But a Suspension Bridge’s span can be nearly 2 kilometres long!

5. Famous Suspension Bridges

Look at the Suspension Bridges in Slides 9 -15 Presentation E and identify the parts. Discuss the
similarities and differences between the different bridges. Look at famous Famous Suspension Bridges
(Handout) and notice that the spans of Suspension Bridges have got longer over the years as civil
engineers have learned more about the best way to build them.
Look at Slide 15. The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, also known as the “Pearl Bridge”, has the longest central span
of any bridge in the world. It was finished in 1998.
It links the city of Kobe on the mainland of Japan to Awaji Island.
Before the Pearl Bridge was built, ferries carried passengers across the Akashi Strait in Japan. This
dangerous waterway often experienced severe storms and, in 1955, two ferries sank in the strait during
a storm, killing 168 people, most of them children. The ensuing shock and public outrage convinced the
Japanese government to develop plans for a Suspension Bridge to cross the strait.
The bridge has three spans. From the shore, the first span is 960 metres. The central span is 1,991
metres. The final span back to the shore is another 960 metres.
The two towers were originally 1,990 metres apart, but the Great Hanshin earthquake on January 17
1995, moved the towers so much (only the towers had been erected at the time) that the span had to
be increased by 1 metre!
The main supporting towers rise 282.8 metres above sea level, and the bridge can expand because of
heat by up to 2 metres over the course of a day. The steel cables have 300,000 kilometres of wire which
is enough to go around the Earth almost 8 times!
Look at Slide 16 and discuss the longest spans of the different types of bridge.
Look at a local area map and Famous Suspension Bridges (Handout). Measure how the main span of the
Pearl Bridge would carry you from your school.

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Copyright © 2014, Rochester Bridge Trust [Link] Duplication is permitted for educational use only.
7. Build a Human Suspension Bridge
This activity requires 12 children. Explain that it is important that no-one pulls too hard on the ropes as this could
hurt the children acting as towers or could pull someone over.

• Select 4 of the taller children and get one pair to stand facing the other pair who should be about 2
metres away. Explain that these children are making the two towers of the Suspension Bridge.
Place the rope across the shoulders of each pair and get the children to identify this as the main
cable. It can be a good idea to get these children to put a jumper around their shoulders first to
prevent the rope from rubbing.
• Select 4 more children to act as the anchors. Get each one to sit on the floor facing the back of
each tower. They hold the end of the main cable. No pulling!
• Select 4 more children to act as the hangers. They kneel or sit on the floor, facing each other and
holding on to the main cable. The floor is the deck of the bridge.
• Now ask the 4 hangers to pull down gently on the main cable. They should feel the tension
pulling on their arms. The towers should feel the compression pushing down on their shoulders.
The anchors should feel the tension in the main cable pulling against their arms. Ask the
children to notice that it is not necessary to pull hard but all the parts have to balance the forces for
the bridge to stay up and be stable.
If there are additional children in the group they can act as “cars” and travel through the centre of the
lines of children on the floor which is the deck. Ask the children to imagine how the forces in their parts
of the bridge would change as this “live load” travels across.
Ask the children to consider what would happen to the bridge if there were no anchors? Think about
what might happen if the hangers failed? Notice that a Suspension Bridge has lots more parts than
most other types of bridge. This makes them complicated and expensive to build.

Label the parts of the bridge using the list of words below.

Can you match up the

words with the parts
of the bridge? You’ll
see that your bridge
vocabulary is
growing again!

Span Deck Tower Main Cable Pier Anchor

S
10
ESSION

Compression
Tension

A Suspension Bridge dissipates

the forces very effectively, which is
why Suspension Bridges can span
such long distances.
S
10
ESSION

Printed from the Rochester Bridge Trust Learning about Bridges, a FREE resource designed by Guy Fox Limited. Copyright © 2014, Rochester Bridge Trust [Link]
Akashi Kaikyo - ‘Pearl Bridge’ 1991 metres (finished in 1998)

Humber 1410 metres (finished in 1981)

Duplication is permitted for educational use only.

Golden Gate 1280 metres (finished in 1937)

Severn 988 metres (finished in 1966)

Look up these bridges
on the internet – there
are some amazing
photos of them!
Brooklyn 486 metres (finished in 1883)

Clifton 214 metres (finished in 1864)

Menai 176 metres (1826)

ESSION

10
S

The distances shown are for the main span of each bridge.
Session 11 – Building Underwater
Aims & Objectives
• To learn about some of the techniques civil engineers use for You Will Need:
building structures underwater PowerPoint Presentation F
• To consider some of the challenges faced by civil engineers when Laptop, projector & screen
designing bridges
For the Cofferdam Activity:
Session Activities Deep waterproof tray (e.g. large roasting tin or
seed tray without drainage holes)
1. Building a Bridge Over Water Empty 2 litre plastic bottle
Ask the children to think about how early man built his [Link] very Empty 500ml plastic bottle
first bridges were simply logs across small [Link] spans of these Sand
bridges were limited by the length of the logs available. Water
Scissors
Then people worked out that they could pile rocks and stones in shallow Plastic syringe (e.g. of the type available for
rivers and streams to make piers in the centre to allow their bridges to children’s medication) or pipette
be longer. But these only worked when the flow of the river was gentle Bowl or jug
enough not to wash away the rocks. If the water was gentle and shallow Sheet of A4 paper
it might just be easier to wade across the river!
So early man usually found an easier place to cross even if it meant he had to go a long way round.
The problem was, people needed to cross rivers, even when the water was rushing past. How could they build a
pier in the middle of a river?
In this session, your students will explore cofferdams.
Essentially, a cofferdam is a means of making dry land
in the centre of a river. The water is held back while the
pier is built, and then once the bridge is completed,
the cofferdam is removed.

2. How the Romans Solved the Problem

Show PowerPoint Presentation F, Slides 1 - 24 as you lead the following discussion.
For your convenience, there is a step-by-step illustrated guide to
cofferdam construction on the following pages.
The Romans were not going to be put off by
this challenge. They liked to build their roads straight
and if there was a rushing river in the way they
would just have to find a way to build piers in the
water. The solution was a cofferdam.
A cofferdam is a temporary box, built
in the water, from which the water is removed
leaving a dry space for building. In other words,
a cofferdam blocks the water on all sides and
55

Printed from the Rochester Bridge Trust Learning about Bridges, a FREE resource designed by Guy Fox Limited.
Copyright © 2014, Rochester Bridge Trust [Link] Duplication is permitted for educational use only.
makes a dry place in the middle of the river where the pier can be built.
Here’s how they did it:
First the Romans collected large logs and sharpened the ends. These logs are called piles. Then they
pushed the piles into the river bed near where they wanted to build the pier of the bridge. To get
the logs into the river bed they invented a machine called a pile-driver. This used a large weight on
the end of a rope which hammered the pile into the soft river bed.
The Romans repeated this until they had made a circle of logs very close together and much bigger
than the pier they needed to build. Then they started again and made another circle of logs outside
the first one. When they were finished, they had made concentric circles of piles.
Next they filled the space between the two circles with clay, packing it down as tightly as they could
to push all the water out of the gap. They were trying to make the space as waterproof as they could.
When this was done they bailed out the water from inside the middle circle, leaving themselves with a
fairly dry space.
Now the Roman engineers could work in the dry circle and dig out the river bed until they reached
the rock underneath. Then they built their bridge piers up as high as they needed and added the deck.
Once the bridge was finished they could take away the cofferdam.

3. Build a Model Cofferdam

Either working in groups of 2 to 4, or as a classroom demonstration:
a) Help the children to cut the top and bottom of their bottles to create two cylinders about
12 centimetres high.
b) Fill the tray with sand up to a depth of about 4 centimetres
c) Add water until the level is about 3 centimetres above the sand
d) Insert the larger cylinder in the sand and water until it is flush with the bottom of the tray
e) Insert the smaller cylinder into the centre of the first until it is also flush with the bottom of
the tray
f) Fold a piece of paper down the centre and use it as a chute to pour sand into the space
between the two cylinders
g) Use the syringe or pipette to remove the water from the centre section into the small bowl
until the water level inside the ring is significantly lower than the outside.
Since there will not be a true, water-tight seal around the bottom of the cylinders, the children will probably not
be able to remove all the water from the inner [Link] is not a [Link] Romans were not able to achieve a
completely dry cofferdam either and would have had to bail out water throughout their construction process.
However it should be possible to get the water level in the inner ring significantly lower than the rest of the water in
the [Link] important thing is for the children to understand how civil engineers use structures like cofferdams
to make building bridge piers underwater possible.
Today civil engineers still use cofferdams and the technique for building them is very similar to the Roman
method. Instead of using sharpened logs, however, modern engineers tend to use sheet piles.
Show PowerPoint Presentation F Slides 25 - 30 about modern sheet piles and cofferdams and
discuss the similarities and difference between the Roman and modern methods.
56

Help the children to cut the top and Fill the tray with sand up to a Add water until the level is about
bottom of their bottles to create two depth of about 4 centimetres. 3 centimetres above the sand.
cylinders about 12 centimetres high.

4 5 6

Insert the larger cylinder in the Insert the smaller cylinder into Fold a piece of paper down the centre
sand and water until it is flush the centre of the first and flush and use it as a chute to pour sand into
with the bottom of the tray. with the bottom of the tray. the space between the two cylinders.

Use the syringe or pipette to remove

the water from the centre section into
the small bowl until the water level
inside the ring and is significantly
lower than the outside.

Printed from the Rochester Bridge Trust Learning about Bridges, a FREE resource designed by Guy Fox Limited.
Copyright © 2014, Rochester Bridge Trust [Link] Duplication is permitted for educational use only.
4. Cement from a Volcano!
Many people think cement is a modern material invented in the 20th century. However, by the middle of the 1st
century AD, the Romans knew how to make cement and used it widely in their bridge building.
The Latin name for cement is OPUS CAEMENTICIUM.
The Romans made their cement using ash which had been blown out of the volcano [Link] collected the ash
from a town called Pozzuoli and so the cement became known as [Link] magical thing about pozzolana is
that it is waterproof and hardens even when it is wet. Just what the Romans needed when they were building bridge
piers in water.

Printed from the Rochester Bridge Trust Learning about Bridges, a FREE resource designed by Guy Fox Limited.
Copyright © 2014, Rochester Bridge Trust [Link] Duplication is permitted for educational use only.
Session 12 – Cable-Stayed Bridges
Aims & Objectives You Will Need:
• To introduce the Cable-Stayed Bridge PowerPoint Presentation G
• To understand the differences and similarities between Laptop, projector & screen
Cable-Stayed and Suspension Bridges Internet access
HANDOUT: Comparing Cable-Stayed & Suspension
• To show how Cable-Stayed spans can be used with
Bridges
beam spans to make very long bridges
HANDOUT: Cable-Stayed Bridge Terminology
HANDOUT: Describing Cable-Stayed Bridges 1
Session Activities

HANDOUT: Describing Cable-Stayed Bridges 2
HANDOUT: Forces in a Cable-Stayed Bridge
1. Exploring Cable-Stayed Bridges
• Using Cable-Stayed & Suspension Bridges (Handout)
discuss the differences between the two designs.
• Lead the children to notice that the cables are The Cable-Stayed Bridge looks a lot
attached to the support towers or pylons in like a Suspension Bridge, but there
different ways. In a Cable-Stayed Bridge
the cables attach directly to the tower at an are some important differences. In
angle; in a Suspension Bridge they hang this session, your students will learn
vertically from the main cable. Notice also that about Cable-Stayed Bridges and
the Cable-Stayed Bridge (as long as it is what makes them unique.
symmetrical on each side of each tower) does
not require huge anchor blocks.
• Look at Slides 3 - 7 to see some examples of
Cable-Stayed Bridges.

2. The Language of Cable-Stayed Bridges

Using Slides 8 - 9, Fill out Cable-Stayed Bridge
Terminology (Handout), noting that some words are the same
as for other types of bridge but that some terms just apply to
Cable-Stayed Bridges.
• Give out blank copies of Cable-Stayed Bridge Terminology
(Handout).
• As a group, identify:
Pylon Cables Pier Deck Span

deck

span
pier

• Explain that Cable-Stayed Bridges are described by:

- the number of pylons they have
- the shape of the pylons (see Describing Cable-Stayed Bridges 1 (Handout))
- the arrangement of the cables (see Describing Cable-Stayed Bridges 2 (Handout))
• Using the two handouts, discuss the name of each type, encouraging the children to explain why each
shape has that name.
• Encourage the children to go online and try to identify and name the different features of the bridges
they can find on the internet using the correct terminology.

3. Deciding Which Type of Bridge to Build

Although they are still expensive, Cable-Stayed Bridges are easier and cheaper to build than
Suspension Bridges. They have stiffer decks so don’t tend to bounce and sway in the wind as
much as Suspension Bridges. They can be built where the ground on each side is not as suitable
for constructing large anchor blocks.
• Watch this video which explains how engineers decided between the main types of bridge for a new
crossing between Denmark and Sweden.
[Link]
• Cable-Stayed Bridges can’t be as long as Suspension Bridges. The maximum span is about
1100 metres (compared to 2000 metres for a Suspension Bridge).
The Russky Bridge in Vladivostok, Russia has the longest cable-stayed span in the world at 1,104
meters. Remember this is the distance between the towers not the total length of the bridge.
• The longest bridge over water in the world is the Jiaozhou Bay bridge in China which opened in 2011.
[Link] The main span is a Cable-Stayed Bridge. The
total length of the bridge is 42.3 kilometres and it could span the English Channel at its narrowest point,
with about six miles to spare. The bridge cost £1.4 billion.
• Show Slide 13 which compares the longest spans of the main bridge types.
60

Printed from the Rochester Bridge Trust Learning about Bridges, a FREE resource designed by Guy Fox Limited.
Copyright © 2014, Rochester Bridge Trust [Link] Duplication is permitted for educational use only.
4. Understanding the Forces on a Cable-Stayed Bridge
• Remind the children of the difference between compression (pushing) and tension (pulling).
• Show and discuss Forces in a Cable-Stayed Bridge (Handout) which explains the forces in a Cable-
Stayed Bridge. In most Cable-Stayed Bridges, the cables are fixed to each side of the
pylon and they pull down, helping to balance each other.
This means that the forces on one side of the bridge balance the forces on the other side.

Cable-Stayed Bridge

Suspension Bridge How many differences can

you spot between the
S
two bridges?
12
ESSION

Label the parts of the bridge using the list of words below.

Can you match up the

words with the parts
of the bridge? You’ll
see that your bridge
vocabulary is
growing again!

Pylon Cables Pier Deck Span

S
12
ESSION

Column
H Shaped
Pylon Types

A Shaped

Inverse Y Shaped
that describe a

shape of its pylons.

Cable-Stayed Bridge:
first, you describe the
There are two features

Fan

Harp
Cable Types

There are two features

that describe a Cable-
Stayed Bridge: second,
you describe the cables!
S

12
ESSION
Printed from the Rochester Bridge Trust Learning about Bridges, a FREE resource designed by Guy Fox Limited. Copyright © 2014, Rochester Bridge Trust [Link]
Duplication is permitted for educational use only.
Forces in a Cable-Stayed Bridge (Handout)
Like a Suspension Bridge, the
Compression Cable-Stayed Bridge dissipates
forces very effectively.
Tension That’s why engineers choose
Cable-Stayed Bridges for
long spans.

S
12
ESSION

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Education Kit Full

Uploaded by

Education Kit Full

Uploaded by

Rochester Bridge Trust

Learning about Bridges

The Rochester Bridge Trust was founded

Hello! I’m Langdon the Lion, guardian of

1. Why Do We Need Bridges?

3. The Language of Bridges

4. The Development of Beam Bridges

Research Activity (for home)

This is a map of the Medway

Can you match

Beam Parapet Abutment Pier Span Deck

In this session, your students

Beam Type Maximum Load (Weight) How It Failed?

Arch and Beam

Can you figure out WHY your Beam Bridge

The forces in a Beam Bridge can be The forces in a Beam Bridge.

Hints and Tips

Set up a “testing zone” by MATERIALS: TO MAKE TWO BEAMS:

Why Are Circular Tubes So Strong?

Why Is the Type and Location of Connections Important?

It can be difficult to design beam

2. Exploring Truss Bridges

with three deck slabs.

much longer beam!

There are many different

identify their type.

Challenge your students to Challenge

Truss Bridges are usually

Pratt Truss Baltimore Truss

Ontario, Canada Massachusetts, USA

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Can you match up the

Abutment Span Truss Pier Deck

2. The Language of Bridges

3. Understanding the Forces of an Arch Bridge

• An Arch Bridge is stronger than a Beam Bridge Compression

The abutments push back onto

Using the internet, find some pictures of arches around

Can you match up the

Abutment Deck Parapet Keystone Span Voussoirs

Duplication is permitted for educational use only.

The ground around the abutments

The abutments push back onto

3. Build an Arch from a Kit

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Photo courtesy of Cristina Ruiz Cortina. Photo courtesy of AchterboschZantman.

Wooden truss bridge, Gainesville, Georgia, USA

Options for Concrete Mixing:

2. Introduction to Suspension Bridges

3. The Language of Suspension Bridges

5. Famous Suspension Bridges

Can you match up the

Span Deck Tower Main Cable Pier Anchor

A Suspension Bridge dissipates

Humber 1410 metres (finished in 1981)

Duplication is permitted for educational use only.

Severn 988 metres (finished in 1966)

Clifton 214 metres (finished in 1864)

Menai 176 metres (1826)

2. How the Romans Solved the Problem

3. Build a Model Cofferdam

Use the syringe or pipette to remove

2. The Language of Cable-Stayed Bridges

• Explain that Cable-Stayed Bridges are described by:

3. Deciding Which Type of Bridge to Build

Suspension Bridge How many differences can

Can you match up the

Pylon Cables Pier Deck Span

shape of its pylons.

There are two features

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