A. What is a Bridge?

A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle, such as a body of

water, valley, or road, without closing the way underneath. It is constructed for the
purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, usually something that can be
detrimental to cross otherwise. There are many different designs that each serve a
particular purpose and apply to different situations. Designs of bridges vary
depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the bridge is
constructed and anchored, the material used to make it, and the funds available to
build it.

Bridges are immensely important. Bridges allow safe passage where previously it
was not possible or much more difficult. Bridges allow you go to school, seek
medical help and go to work without having to negotiate a busy road, a dangerous
railway line or a fast flowing river.

Bridges also allow people and communities to connect together, allowing better
understanding of different people's beliefs and cultures. This has helped made us
more accepting and there is less prejudice, violence and war in the world because of
this.

 Trivia

The Buntun Bridge is the LONGEST RIVER BRIDGE in the country, which
stretches from Tuguegarao to Solana Cagayan.Under it is the Majestic Cagayan
River which is the largest river basin in the Philippines. The bridge was constructed
for the sake of travelers that wanted to cross Cagayan River since it was the bridge
that was know s the gateway o the City of Tuguegarao.

The bridge was also known as the second longest in the country except for the
Candaba Viaduct of Pampanga which is built in the land. The Buntun Bridge has the
total of 15 spans, long enough to carry more that 18 tonnes of vehicles passing
through as the passage in and out of the city.

Construction of the 4.6 million-dollar bridge was contracted to the Construction

and
Development Corporation of the Philippines (now the Philippine National
Construction Corporation), which together with Japanese engineers conducted
studies and designed the actual project.

The bridge had never been flooded by the Cagayan River but it almost did when
the typhoon Ondoy and Juan hit the City. It has been the flood basis of Tuguegarao
that when the bridge was flooded, the city is also affected since the height of the
bridge is similar to the height of Tuguegarao city. It is also said that the bridge is
long enough for a person to recite the entire Philippine National Anthem.

Reference: https://www.facebook.com/FerdinandEMarcosBestPhilippinePresident/photos/trivia-
the-buntun-bridge-is-the-longest-river-bridge-in-the-country-which-stretc/950300215039981/

B. Different types of Bridge.

There are six basic bridge forms: the beam, the truss, the arch, the suspension,
the cantilever, and the cable-stay.

A. Beam Bridge
These types of bridges are simply supported bridges consisting of horizontal beams
and vertical piers; Beam bridges are also named as Stringer Bridge or Girder
Bridge. These types of bridges are typically spanned with two or more spans and
supported by abutment or pier at each end. These types of bridges are constructed
using RCC, Wood, steel etc. Beam bridges have span less than 80m.

As mentioned above, beam bridges are simply supported bridges (beam that is
supported on piers), where the beam is laid across the supports. In this type of bridges,
the beam should be strong enough to bear the loads on it. These loads are further
carried to bridge supports and then to earth.

The top edge of the beam possesses compression as the loads are applied on it
where the lower part of the beam is being stretched and is under tension.
Advantages of Beam Bridge:
1. This type of beams are very easy to construct and erect.
2. This type of beams are good for short spans.
3. Wide distances can be spanned by resting beams on piers.
4. Ease in constructing temporary bridges.

Disadvantages of Beam Bridge:

1. Can be expensive, requires RCC to build.
2. They are spanned by limits.

B. Truss Bridge
Truss is a framework consisting of struts (inclined members). These bridges are
constructed by using trusses which are comprised of many small elements forming
triangular trusses. The span length of truss bridge is in between 50m-110m.

Trusses are very rigid, lightweight and can support heavy loads. Trusses serve in
transferring the load from a single point to the wider area. The weight of the bridge is
very less when compared with other types. When the load is applied to the truss bridge,
the top edge possess compression and loads are shared among the angled members to
supports and then to earth.
Advantages of Truss Bridge:
1. This type of bridge is easily built in the factory and then framed on site.
2. The piers or supports are comparatively less when compared to the beam bridge,
3. They are strong and rigid and very light on weight possess efficient use of
materials.

Disadvantages of Truss Bridges:

1. Requires high skilled professionals to design it.
2. They are more complex than beam bridges in terms of designing.

C. Arch Bridge
The arch bridge carries loads primarily by compression, which exerts on the
foundation both vertical and horizontal forces. Arch foundations must therefore prevent
both vertical settling and horizontal sliding. In spite of the more complicated foundation
design, the structure itself normally requires less material than a beam bridge of the
same span.

Advantages of Arch Bridge:

1. Easy to build with the locally available material.

2. These types of bridge are very rigid and extremely strong.
3. Arch bridges are built up with a variety of materials like stone, concrete, steel,
etc.

Disadvantages of Arch Bridge:

1. They take a long time to build.

2. It requires a massive amount of building materials to build.
D. Suspension Bridge
This type of bridges is constructed by suspending the deck slab using suspension
cables. The roadway is hanged using steel cables which are connected to two towers
and secured by anchors on both ends of the bridge.

When the load is applied to the suspension bridge, the deck slab possess
compression and then travels up the ropes, cables or chains to transfer the
compression to the towers. The towers then dissipate the compression directly into the
earth by anchors.

The supporting cables which run parallel to the bridge possess tension forces, and
these are connected to anchorages. Bridge anchorages are massive concrete blocks
which serve in dissipating the tension force to the ground. Bridge anchorages are
essentially solid rock or massive concrete blocks in which the bridge is grounded.
Tensional force passes to the anchorages and into the ground. The span length of
Suspension bridge is in between 150m-2000m

Advantages of Suspension bridge:

1. Strong and lightweight.
2. These types of bridge provide long span which helps in crossing the river.

Disadvantages of Suspension bridge:

1. Expensive to build.
2. Prone to sway and ripple with the wind, so these types of bridges are not suitable
for railways.
E. Cantilever Bridge
The word cantilever refers that the beam which has only one support and the other
end is kept free in space. Cantilever bridges are same to this but don’t think that one
end of the bridge is kept free. Cantilever bridges are constructed in parts and the two
free ends are connected with suspended deck. Cantilever bridge has a span in
between 150m-500m.

Any bridge is subjected to compression and tension forces. In this type of bridge, the
suspended deck is provided to join the two free ends of the cantilever bridge.

When the load is applied on cantilever bridge, the top supports are subjected to a
tensional force (pulling force), and bottom supports are subjected to the compression
force (pushing force) which makes the bridge to be balanced. As long as force is
balanced, the bridge will stand in stable position.

Advantages of Cantilever Bridge:

1. These types of bridge are adopted only when the supports cannot be provided at
specific positions.
2. Support is required only on one side of the cantilever.

Disadvantages of Cantilever Bridge:

1. Cantilever bridges are prone to high turning stress during construction.
2. If the forces aren’t balanced the bridge may buckle
F. Cable – Stayed Bridge
These types of the bridge are modern bridges and it is similar to the suspension
bridge. In this type, cables are connected directly to the tower instead of suspended
cables. Tension is constantly acting on the cables, which are stretched because they
are attached to the roadway. This type of bridge doesn’t have any anchorages to bear
the compression and has only one tower to carry the compression. The span length of
Cable stayed bridge is in between 500m-1000m.

In this type of bridge, the cables are directly connected to the roadway at different
points radially, and towers alone bear the compression forces.

Advantages of Cable-Stayed Bridge:

1. It is more economical when compared with the suspension bridge.
2. It is good for medium spans and can be easily built by cantilevering out from the
tower.

Disadvantages of Cable-Stayed Bridge:

1. Maintenance and inspection may be more difficult.
2. These types of bridge are not suitable for far distances.

Reference: https://civilread.com/different-types-of-bridges/?fbclid=IwAR3q1XUQl-XAUYgD3-
_EBEYpWGNlKUIqHX1CSM9EZYwX1fWOoVUVFs4kZtQ
C. Parts of Bridges

Main Parts of a bridge

 The Foundation
Piles
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.
The material and design of a pile depend on several factors such as soil type,
ground instability and load bearing capacity constraint. For bridges on rivers, scouring is
also considered before the bridge is designed.

Caps
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.

Bents
When piles and caps are set together they are called bents. Multiple bents form
the foundation for the substructure.

 The Substructure
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.

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.

Pier Caps
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.
  The Superstructure
Girders
A girder 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.

Bearings
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.

Trusses
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.

Decks
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.

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.

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.

Reference: https://www.engineeringclicks.com/main-parts-of-a-bridge/
D. Steps for Bridge Construction

 STEP ONE: THE FOUNDATIONS

They serve as a basis for the future structure and should not be underestimated.
The foundations have the function of distributing various loads of the bridge (mass,
weight, overload, forces …) in an efficient manner and that according to the nature of
the ground hosting the structure. Indeed, the characteristics of the environment will
guide the technical decisions and the process to be put in place.

 SECOND STEP: CONSTRUCTION OF SUPPORTS

Whatever the number of supports (abutments and piles) necessary for the

construction of the bridge, they will all be mounted simultaneously on both sides of the

shores. Usually made of concrete, these supports are either cast in place, or

prefabricated in a factory and then assembled on site.

 THIRD STEP: ASSEMBLY AND LAUNCHING OF THE SUPERSTRUCTURE

Because of the final weight of the structure, the greater or smaller distance

between each pile and the final aim of the structure, it is often impossible to use

concrete for the construction of the deck which, over great distances, collapses even

sometimes under its own weight and of its traffic. This is why we now use elements of

metal beams that are assembled together to form the structure of the deck.

On each shore, a crane installs the beam elements which are then reconstituted
by welding on site (Welded I-Beams). The deck can then be equipped with a launching
nose, completed with ballast at the rear to prevent tipping. Pushed on the piles
generally using winches, cables and pulleys, the deck advances at a speed of about 9m
/ h. Also, this solution can be supplemented by restraint systems to prevent runaway.
 FOURTH STEP: POURING THE SLAB
The beams are equipped on factory with connectors that allow the steel structure
to be bonded to the concrete slab of the latter. Thus, once the beams installed on their
final supports, we put lost formwork on them and reinforcement before pouring a layer
of concrete of a thickness of about 25cm which will be the slab of the structure.

 STEP FIVE: FINISHES

To finalize the work, after several months, even years of construction, the final

step is to lay asphalt on the road. Asphalt is a very specialized type of bitumen whose

intrinsic characteristics allow it to withstand deck expansions. Thus, even with some

deformations of steel, the bitumen will not crack and remains of quality to accommodate

the road traffic.

Reference: https://www.matiere-tp.com/building-a-bridge-a-construction-site-in-5-steps/
 University of Pangasinan
College of Engineering and Architecture

Research Work
In
Bridge Engineering

Submitted by:
Fernandez, Kareen S.
Submitted to:
Engr. Venjo C. Quiambao