Types of Bridge Structures
Bridges come longer than skyscrapers and stand higher than many buildings. A bridge is a type of infrastructure built for the purpose of transportation over an impediment or barrier. Bridges date back to antiquity and come in many shapes and sizes---from short and basic to large and elegant. Certain designs tend to get used more than others, leading to the majority of bridges being of a few main types.
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Arch Bridge
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An arch bridge consists of an axially compressed slab that thrusts outward on both of its ends. This forms a semi-circular shape where the road is supported. Arch bridges use steel, concrete and other type of masonry.
Arch-type bridges have several types: semi-circular arches, bowstring arches or segmental arches. Semi-circular arches cover one span at a time, and were originally developed by the Romans. Bowstring arches resemble a bowstring of an arrow, but flattened with the ends connected to prevent it from thrusting outward. Segmental arches create fewer curves than the other types of bridges.
Some of the world's most notable arch bridges are the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia and the world's longest arch bridge---the Lupu Bridge---in Shanghai, China.
Cantilever Bridge
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A cantilever bridge uses cantilevers to connect one point to another. A cantilever is a horizontal structure supported on only one end. Cantilever bridges are sometimes combined to connect one point to another. Two cantilever bridges are created on both sides of the gap and then connected by another beam that sometimes has a vertical support. The most known example of this type of bridge is the Quebec Bridge in Quebec, Canada.
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Rigid Beam
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The most typical and simple type of bridge, rigid beam bridges use straight, horizontal slabs with two vertical supports on each end. Because of its simplicity, rigid beam bridges usually connect short distance gaps, but there are some instances where beam bridges connect long distances. An example of this is the Costa e Silva Bridge in Rio de Janeiro, the world's longest beam bridge.
Suspension Bridge
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A simple suspension bridge has towers built on each end of the gap. These towers have cables and wires designed to support the vertical slab. If the suspension bridge is longer, some towers are created in the middle of the gap to ensure the weight will be supported.
The Akashi Kaiyko Bridge in Japan is the longest suspension bridge in the world with a length of 12,826 feet, making it span more than 2 miles. Other famous suspension bridges include the Faith Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge in California.
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References
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