Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

Don Severino delas Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Department of Civil Engineering

PROFESSIONAL COURSE- SPECIALIZED 5 – BRIDGE ENGINEERING (CENG 121A)

2nd Semester, AY 2021 - 2022

MODULE 1 – Introduction to Bridge Engineering

This module is about the basics and characteristics of bridge structures. In this module, the student will
learn the different parts of bridges and its purpose, classifications of bridges in terms of the
characteristics of superstructures and the factors affecting the location, alignment, span and elevation
of the bridge.

OBJECTIVES

 Understand the components of a bridge structure.

 Determine the factors affecting the location, alignment, span and elevation of a bridge structure
 Identify the classification criteria of bridges in terms of the characteristics of the superstructures.

TO-DO LIST

 Review of Lecture/ Discussion

 Supplemental/ Advance Reading
 Formative Assessment – Quiz

LECTURE CONTENTS

1 – 1. Introduction
1 – 2. Bridge Components
1 – 3. Bridge Classifications
 LECTURE/ DISCUSSION

1 – 1. Introduction

A bridge is a structure that crosses over a river, bay or other obstruction, or an open intersection (as in
interchanges), permitting the smooth and safe passage of vehicles, trains, and/ or pedestrians.

A bridge structure is divided into an upper part (the superstructure), which consists of the wearing
surface, the deck, primary members and the secondary members, and a lower part (the substructure),
which are abutments, piers, bearings, footings, piles and sheeting.

The superstructure provides horizontal spans such as deck and girders and carries traffic loads
directly.
The substructure supports the horizontal spans, elevating above the ground surface.

1 – 2. Bridge Components
other term: Decking Component (Superstructure)
Superstructure. The superstructure comprises of all the components of a bridge above the supports.
The basic superstructure components consist of the following:

 Deck. The deck is the physical extension of the roadway

across the obstruction to be bridged. The main function of the deck is to
distribute loads along the bridge cross – section or transversely. The
deck either rests on or is integrated with a frame or other structural
system designated to distribute loads along the length of the bridge or
longitudinally.
  Wearing Surface. The wearing surface (course) is
that portion of the deck cross section which resists traffic
wear. In most instances this is a separate layer made of
bituminous material. The wearing course usually varies in
thickness from 50 mm to 100 mm however, this thickness
can sometimes be larger due to resurfacing of the overpass
roadway, which occurs throughout the life cycle of a bridge.

 Primary Members. Primary members distribute loads

longitudinally and are usually designed principally to resist flexure.
Beam type primary members are also called stringers or girders.
These stringers could be steel plate girders (i.e., steel plates welded
together to form an I-section), prestressed concrete girders,
reinforced concrete girders, or glued laminated timber stringers.

 Secondary Members. Secondary members

are bracing between primary members designed to
resist cross-sectional deformation of the superstructure
frame and help distribute part of the vertical between
stringers. In most instances, these secondary members
are known as diaphragms. They can be composed of
crossed frames at the top or bottom flange of a stringer
used to resist lateral deformation. This type of
secondary member is called lateral bracing.
 other term: Decking Component (Superstructure)

Substructure. The substructure consists of all elements required to support the superstructure and
overpass roadway. The basic substructure components consist of the following:

 Abutments. Abutments are earth-retaining structures which support the superstructure and
overpass roadway at the beginning and end of a bridge. Like a retaining wall, the abutments resist
the longitudinal forces of the earth underneath the overpass roadway.
- acts as roadway approach, retains roadway backfill, acts as vertical support and lateral support, resist lateral movement of earthfill
 Pedestals. A pedestal is a short column on an abutment or pier which directly supports a
superstructure primary members. The term bridge seat is also used to refer to the elevation at
the top surface of the pedestal.
 Back wall. A back wall, sometimes called the stem, is the primary component of the abutment
acting as a retaining structure at each approach.
 Wing wall. A wing wall is a side wall to the abutment back wall or stem designed to assist in
confining earth behind the abutment.
- located near the abutment, extension of abutment, they may be right or splayed, it retains earth in approach area

Abutment Attributes

 Piers. Piers are structures which support the superstructure at intermediate points between the end
supports (abutments). Piers, like abutments, come in a variety of shapes and sizes which depend
on the specific application. From an aesthetic standpoint, piers are one of the most visible
components of a highway bridge and can make the difference between a visually pleasing structure
and an unattractive one.
- are intermdiate supports between bridge span
-2 types of support: intermediate supports (midspan) and end supports (abutment)
-suffficient bearing area for super struc
-Function: - transfer vertical loads to foundations, are compression members, designed for vertical loads, also lateral loads (high seismic area)
 Basic Types of Piers

 Bearings. Bearings are mechanical systems which transmit the vertical loads of the superstructure
to the substructure. Examples of bearings are mechanical systems made of steel rollers acting on
large steel plates or rectangular pads made of neoprene. The use and functionality of bearings vary
greatly depending on the size and configuration of the bridge. Bearings allowing both rotation and
longitudinal translation are called expansion bearings, and those which allow rotation only are
called fixed bearings.

 Footings. As bearing transfer the superstructure loads to the structure, so in turn do the abutment
and pier footings transfer loads from the substructure to the subsoil. A footing under a wall is known
as continuous or wall footing; whereas a footing under a pier is known as a spread footing.
 Piles. When soil under a footing cannot provide adequate support for the substructure (in terms of
bearing capacity, overall stability, or settlement), support is obtained through the use of piles, which
extend down from the footing to the proper depth. Some types of pile range from concrete, either
cast-in-place or bored pile, to steel H-sections driven to sound rock.

 Sheeting. In cofferdams or shallow excavation, the vertical planks which are driven into the ground
to act as temporary retaining walls permitting excavation are known as sheeting. Steel sheet piles
are one of the most common forms of sheeting in use and can even be used as abutments for
smaller structures.

1 – 3. Bridge Classifications

Bridges are always classified in terms of the bridge’s superstructure, and superstructure can be
classified according to the following characteristics:

 Materials of construction
 Usage
 Structural system of superstructures
 Support conditions
 Deck Location
 Durability

 Materials of construction. This classification is based on the main type of material used for the
superstructure.

 Steel bridges - A steel bridge may use a wide variety of structural steel components and
systems: girders, frames, trusses, arches, and suspension cables.
 Concrete bridges – There are two primary types of concrete bridges: reinforced and
prestressed.
 Timber bridges – Wooden bridges are used when the span is relatively short.
 Metal alloy bridges – Metal alloys such as aluminum and stainless steel are also used in
bridge construction.
 Usage. This classification is based on the type of load that is carried across the bridge. Bridges can
alternatively be classified into movable (for ships to pass the river) or fixed and permanent or
temporary categories.

 Highway bridges – bridges on highways or vehicles

 Railway bridges – bridges on railroads for trains
 Combined bridges – bridges carrying both vehicles and trains
 Pedestrian bridges – bridges carrying pedestrian traffic
 Aqueduct bridges – bridges supporting pipes with channeled water flow

 Structural Form. This classification is based on the structural system of the main girders of the
superstructure.

 Plate girder bridges – the main girders consist of a plate assemblage of upper and lower
flanges and a web. H- or I- cross-sections are used to effectively resist bending and shear.

 Box girder bridges – the simple (or multiple) main girder consists of a box beam fabricated
from steel plates or formed from concrete, which resists not only bending and shear but
also torsion effectively.
 T-beam bridges – a number of reinforced concrete T-beams are placed side by side to
support the live load.

 Composite bridges – the concrete deck slab works in conjunction with steel girders to
support loads as a united beam. The steel girder takes mainly tension, while the concrete
slab takes the compression component of the bending moment.

 Grillage girder bridges – the main girders are connected transversely by floor beams to
form a grid pattern which shares the loads with the main girders.
 Truss bridges – truss bar members are theoretically considered to be connected with pins
at their ends to form triangles. Each member resists an axial force, either in compression
or tension.

 Arch bridges – the arch structure that resists load mainly in axial compression. The circular
arc in compression supports the road; the arch can either be below or above the road. In
ancient times, stone was the most common material used to construct magnificent arch
bridges.

 Cable-stayed bridges – the girders are supported by highly strengthened cables (often
composed of tightly bound steel strands) which stem directly from the tower. These are
mostly suited to bridge long distances. The cables in tension support the road.
  Suspension bridges – the girders are suspended by hangers tied to the main cables which
hang from the towers. The load is transmitted mainly by tension in cable. The cables in
tension support the road. This design is suitable for long span bridges.

 Support Condition. This classification is based on the support conditions of the bridge.

 Simply supported - the main girders or trusses are supported by a movable hinge at one
end and a fixed hinge at the other (simple support); thus they can be analyzed using only
the conditions of equilibrium.

 Continuously supported – girders or trusses are supported continuously by more than

three supports, resulting in a structurally indeterminate system. These tend to be more
economical since fewer expansion joints, which have common cause of service and
maintenance problems, are needed. Shrinkage at the supports must be avoided.

 Gerber (cantilever) – A continuous bridge is rendered determinate by placing intermediate

hinges between the supports.

(A) Simply Supported, (B) Continuously Supported, (C) Gerber (Cantilever)

 Deck Location. This classification is based on the position of the bridge floor with respect to the
main girder or main supporting the structural member.

 Deck – when the roadway is on top of the main girder

 Pony – when the roadway is next to the main girder
 Half-through – when the roadway is between the depth of the main girder
 Through – when the roadway is at the bottom of the main girder

Deck Pony

Half-through Through

 Durability. This classification is based on the durability for which the bridge is intended to be useful.

 Permanent bridge – a bridge with a design life of fifty years and usually of concrete or
steel construction
 Temporary bridge – a bridge with a short life span due to deterioration and/ or design
limitations, including: timber trestle and bailey bridges.

SUPPLEMENTAL/ ADVANCE READING

Chapter 1, Bridge Engineering, Classifications, Design Loading and Analysis Methods by Weiwei
Lin and Teruhiko Yoda
 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT - QUIZ

 Access the LMS to view the schedule of the exam or quiz.

 Be on time on the scheduled exam or quiz.
 Only 1 attempt at this exam is allowed so do not open until you are ready to take the test.
 If possible, refrain using the mobile app in accessing the exam to avoid unexpected errors,
disconnection and cause of delay during and submission of the exam.
 Be honest during the exam. Any student who is found guilty of committing online academic
dishonesty may be imposed with sanction as per the academic integrity policy.
 Always save your answers before moving to the next questions or problems. Once done, submit
all and finish the attempt.
 For those who will not be able to take the exam on the scheduled date, inform the instructor
ahead of time and provide a letter of excuse stating the valid reason signed by your
guardian. You will be given a different set of exam to be scheduled

REFERENCES

Toma, Shouji, Duan Lian, Wai-Fah Chen. Handbook of Structural Engineering – Bridge Structure
Lin, Weiwei, Yoda, Teruhiko. Bridge Engineering Classifications, Design Loading, and Analysis
Methods
Department of Public Works and Highways, Bridge Design Manual