Name: Angelo L.
Maghuyop Section: BSCE5-B
1. WHAT ARE THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE?
Foundation
o Piles are usually laid to give support to a bridge and make up the initial foundation. The
piles help the weight and stresses applied by the bridge to be transmitted evenly through
the ground making it stable and strong.
o Caps provide additional load transferring capacity to the piles. They are also known as
pile caps as they are placed right on top of the pile foundation. Caps are often made of
very heavy concrete to give maximum strength to the upper part of the bridge.
o Bents. When piles and caps are set together they are called bents. Multiple bents form the
foundation for the substructure.
Superstructure
o Girders joins all the pile caps together by extending over them. Girders are also referred
to as beams, and give support to the deck. This can be a single span, or even multiple
spans joining all the bents, dependent on the length of the bridge. Girders usually have a
truss design to improve stress and load resistibility. Hence, pressure is quickly passed
towards the foundation. Girders are mostly made from metal or concrete.
o Bearings are structural members capable of transferring loads from the deck to the
substructure. These displace stresses and load to the piers through the girders to allow
movement between parts of a bridge. The movement can be linear as well as torsional.
Bearings provide allowance between these parts.
o Trusses are made by joining triangular components to divide loads and bending moments
through the bridge. Some types are simple trusses, suspension, and also cantilever
trusses. The truss network provides a surface for transportation which can be built as a
deck truss, pony truss, or through truss. Each truss differs in how the traffic will move on
the bridge.
o Decks get the direct traffic load. Some basic decks can be made of concrete and also
from metal. These include travel or walking paths, drainage systems, curbs, expansion
components, sidewalks and approach slabs.
o Barriers. Mainly as a safety and protection feature, bridges have barriers on the sides of
their decks. These can be specially designed fixtures, ropes, rails, fences, or concrete
walls for better aesthetics.
o Arches. A bridge with arches has a lot of strength. Arches can help control the safety and
load bearing ability of the bridge. The quantity of arches and materials used for
construction is very important. A space connecting the bridge pillars and deck beam is
called the spandrel. There can be open or closed spandrels depending on the arch design.
Substructure
o Abutments. Bridges have vertical supports at their approaching ends, functioning as
retention walls for the ground. These are built from reinforced concrete and are capable
of withstanding high levels of horizontal force.
o Piers. When there are multiples spans in a bridge, then piers are mounted at the end of
each to give sustenance from forces and vibrational effects, acting as supporting points
for the bridge.
o Pier caps are also known as the headstock. This functions as a space for girders to
transfer loads on bearings (that divide the load among all the piers), from the
superstructure components on the top.
2. WHAT ARE THE CLASSIFICATIONS OF BRIDGES
Aqueduct bridge(canal over a river)
Viaduct(road or railway over a valley or river)
Pedestrian bridge
Highway bridge
Railway bridge
Road-cum-rail or pipe line bridge