Bridge Components

Question 1

COMPONENTS of a BRIDGE

Answer 1

1. SUPERSTRUCTURE
2. SUBSTRUCTURE
3. FOUNDATION

Question 2

Span and directly Receives the live load
Supported by bearings
deck, girders, slab above the main deck

Answer 2

SUPERSTRUCTURE

Question 3

Support structures, located below the bearing
Transmits load to ground
piers, abutments, spandrels, caps, bearings

Answer 3

SUBSTRUCTURE

Question 4

holds the shallow or deep base of the bridge
Footing; piles

Answer 4

FOUNDATION

Question 5

COMPONENTS OF SUPERSTRUCTURE

Answer 5

1. WEARING SURFACE
2. DECK
3. PRIMARY MEMBERS
4. SECONDARY MEMBERS
5. BEARINGS

Question 6

OR Course
➢ Topmost layer of material
applied upon the deck to
provide smooth riding surface
and to protect deck from effects
of traffic and weathering
➢ In some instances, this is a
separate layer made of
bituminous material, while in
some it is an integral part of the
concrete deck

Answer 6

WEARING SURFACE

Question 7

➢ The physical extension of the
roadway across the obstruction
to be bridged
➢ Component of the bridge to
which live load is directly applied
➢ Provide smooth and safe riding
surface for the traffic utilizing the
bridge and distribute loads
transversely along the bridge
cross section

Answer 7

DECK

Question 8

TYPES OF DECK

Answer 8

➢ TIMBER DECKS
➢ CONCRETE DECKS
➢ STEEL DECKS

Question 9

Normally referred to as decking or timber flooring
(limited to the roadway portion that receives
vehicular loads)

Answer 9

TIMBER DECKS

Question 10

➢ Concrete permits casting in various shapes and sizes
and has provided bridge designers and builders a
variety of construction methods
➢ It is used together with reinforcement to resist
tensile stress (where concrete is weak)

Answer 10

CONCRETE DECKS

Question 11

Composed of either
➢ Solid steel plate
➢ Steel grids

Answer 11

STEEL DECKS

Question 12

Distributes loads longitudinally and are usually designed principally to resist flexure and shear

Answer 12

PRIMARY MEMBERS

Question 13

BEAM TYPE primary members are
also referred to as

Answer 13

stringers or girders

Question 14

placed between the deck slab and the top flange of
the stringer in order for the slab not to rest directly on the member

Answer 14

haunch

Question 15

▪ Efficient for shorter spans
▪ Limited sizes and shapes

Answer 15

I – girders: Rolled Beams

Question 16

▪ Deep girders can span very long distances
▪ Vast range of sizes and shapes

Answer 16

I – girders: Plate Girders

Question 17

▪ Box section efficiently resists torsion effects
▪ Vast range of shape and sizes

Answer 17

Box Girders

Question 18

➢ Are bracing between primary members
➢ designed to resist cross-sectional
deformation of the superstructure frame
➢ and help distribute part of the vertical
load between stringers

Answer 18

SECONDARY MEMBERS

Question 19

Other secondary members (like _____________ ) composed of crossed frames at the top or bottom flanged of a stringer
➢ are used to ________________________ caused by loads acting perpendicularly to the bridge’s
longitudinal axis

Answer 19

lateral bracing; resist lateral deformation

Question 20

TYPE OF SECONDARY MEMBERS

Answer 20

CROSS FRAMES
DIAPHRAMS
LATERAL BRACING

Question 21

Used on steel girder bridges to provide torsional stiffness during construction and in final
condition

Answer 21

CROSS FRAMES

Question 22

▪ Used on steel girder bridges to provide torsional stiffness during construction and in the final
condition
▪ Typically used on shallow beams

Answer 22

DIAPHRAMS

Question 23

Used to provide lateral stiffness
and limit lateral deflections

Answer 23

LATERAL BRACING

Question 24

➢ Are mechanical systems which
transmit the vertical and horizontal
loads of the superstructure to the
substructure
➢ Accommodates movement between
superstructure and substructure
➢ Use and functionality vary greatly
depending on the size and
configuration of bridge

Answer 24

BEARINGS

Question 25

TYPES OF BEARINGS

Answer 25

➢ Expansion bearings ➢ Fixed bearings

Question 26

Allow both rotation and longitudinal translation

Answer 26

Expansion bearings

Question 27

Allow rotation only

Answer 27

Fixed bearings

Question 28

EXAMPLES OF BEARINGS

Answer 28

Elastomeric Bearing Rocker Bearing Disc Bearing Pot Bearing Mechanical roller

Question 29

components of SUBSTRUCTURE

Answer 29

1. Abutments 2. Piers 4. Pedestals 5. Stem 6. Backwall 7. Wingwall 8. Footing 9. Piles 10. Sheeting

Question 30

➢ Earth-retaining structures which support the superstructure and overpass roadway at both ends of the bridge ➢ Like retaining walls, it resist longitudinal forces of the earth underneath the overpass roadway ➢ Connects the bridge with the approach roadway

Answer 30

ABUTMENTS

Question 31

➢ support the superstructure at intermediate points between end supports ➢ Bridges consisting of one span, does not require ➢ From aesthetic standpoint: ➢ can make a bridge visually pleasing (or unattractive) since it is one of the most visible components of a highway bridge

Answer 31

PIERS

Question 32

Basic Types of Pier

Answer 32

Hammerhead Solid wall or gravity Column Bent Pile Bent

Question 33

▪ Also referred as solid shaft pier or Tpier ▪ Major stream crossings where heavy loads, tall piers or sizable debris loads may occur ▪ Looks attractive for bridges requiring large clearance

Answer 33

HAMMER HEAD PIER

Question 34

used for most stream crossings to avoid collecting of debris and floating ices between columns

Answer 34

SOLID /GRAVITY WALL PIER

Question 35

well suited for shallow water crossings

Answer 35

PILE BENT PIER

Question 36

Or also called open Bent

Answer 36

COLUMN BENT PIER

Question 37

➢ Short column on an abutment or pier under a bearing ➢ Directly supports a superstructure primary member ➢ Normally designed with different heights to obtain required bearing elevations

Answer 37

PEDESTALS

Question 38

used to refer to the elevation at the top surface of the pedestal

Answer 38

Bridge seat

Question 39

➢ A primary component of the abutment supporting pedestals on top of a footing ➢ Its main function is to transfer loads from superstructure to the foundation

Answer 39

STEM

Question 40

➢ The component of the abutment acting as a retaining structure on top of the stem ➢ Also supports the approach slab

Answer 40

BACKWALL

Question 41

➢ Sidewall to the abutment backwall or stem ➢ Designed to assist in confining earth behind the abutment

Answer 41

WINGWALL

Question 42

➢ As bearing transfer the superstructure loads to the substructure; abutments and pier footings transfer load from the substructure to the subsoil or piles

Answer 42

FOOTING

Question 43

A footing supported by soil without piles is called

Answer 43

spread footing

Question 44

A footing supported by piles is known as

Answer 44

pile cap

Question 45

When soil under a footing cannot provide adequate support for substructure (in terms of bearing capacity, overall stability, or settlement), support is obtained through piles, which extends down from the footing to stronger soil layer or bedrock

Answer 45

PILES

Question 46

Vertical planks driven to the ground to act as temporary retaining wall permitting excavation

Answer 46

SHEETING

Question 47

➢ Any part of the bridge or bridge site which is NOT a major structural component yet serves some purpose in the overall functionality of the structure ➢ i.e. guide rails ➢ Bridge site, as an entity, possesses many different components which, in one way or another, integrates with the structure

Answer 47

APPURTENANCE

Question 48

APPURTENANCES and SITE-RELATED FEATURES

Answer 48

EMBANKMENT AND SLOPE PROTECTION UNDERDRAIN APPROACH TRAFFIC BARRIERS GUIDE RAILS Other Parts: 1. BRIDGE TOWER 2. SPANDREL 3. EXPANSION JOINT 4. PARAPET 5. ANCHORAGE 6. APEX

Question 49

- slope that tapers from the abutment to the underpass (embankment) is covered with a material, which should be both aesthetically pleasing and provide for proper drainage and erosion control - form of slope protection varies greatly from region to region and is mostly dependent on specific environmental concerns and the types of material readily available - For water way crossings, large stones are usually used for foundation scour protection.

Answer 49

slope protection

Question 50

- provide proper drainage of a major substructure element, such as an abutment, - a drainage system made of perforated pipe or other suitable conduit that transports runoff away from the structure and into appropriate drainage channels (natural or man-made

Answer 50

UNDERDRAIN

Question 51

- Section of overpass roadway which leads up to and away from the bridge abutments - Helps evenly distribute traffic loads on the soil behind the abutment and minimize impact to the abutment which can result from differential settlement between abutment and approach

Answer 51

APPROACH

Question 52

- protective device “used to shield motorists from obstacles or slope located along either side of roadway - can range from a guard rail made of corrugated steel to reinforced concrete parapets - On bridges, they are usually called bridge railings.

Answer 52

TRAFFIC BARRIERS

Question 53

Designed to keep people or vehicles from losing their way into dangerous or off-limit areas

Answer 53

GUIDE RAILS

Question 54

➢ Sometimes called mast or pylons ➢ Vertical supporting part used for cable stayed or suspension bridge ➢ Made of high strength in-situ concrete

Answer 54

BRIDGE TOWER

Question 55

the almost triangular space between the main pillar of the bridge and decking

Answer 55

SPANDREL

Question 56

The space between two parts of the structure that allows expansion and contraction

Answer 56

EXPANSION JOINT

Question 57

A low wall that forms a barrier around the outer edges of a bridge

Answer 57

PARAPET

Question 58

A point where the supporting elements of the bridge are connected to the ground

Answer 58

ANCHORAGE

Question 59

➢ the uppermost portion o a bridge ➢ Called a CROWN for arch bridges

Answer 59

APEX