Bridge Vocab

Every bridge ever constructed had the same 4 stresses to overcome.

Tensile Stress- Forces that try to stretch material and pull it apart.

Compression- Forces that try to push or squeeze material together.

Shear Stress- Forces that try to make materials tear and slide by each other.

Torsion Stress- Forces that try to twist and bend material.

Bridge Stresses

Pier- A strong support that helps a bridge with stability.

Caisson- A Tube used for bridge foundations when built over water.

Bedrock- A strong foundation that support bridge piers.

Keystone- A critical part of an arch bridge that keeps it together.

Bridge Materials

Beam Bridges◦ Girder- Box-girder or I girder laid between two

piers.

◦ Cantilever- Built so that middle beam is supported by two outside beams.

◦ Truss- Uses a series of triangular shapes to distribute weight across the beam to piers.

Bridge Types

Arch Bridges◦ Abutment- Where the bridge meets the land,

keeps the arch from pushing out and down◦ Aqueduct- A man-made channel that carries

water built by the Romans to shield the water from sun and contaminations.

Bridge Types

Suspension Bridges◦ Suspension Bridge- A bridge deck that is

supported by cables hung from towers◦ Cable Stayed Bridge- Single towers are used to

suspend the road surface.

Bridge Types