To facilitate the transportation system.

This is to say in
Bridge Engineering larges cities there is traffic jam when two or more roads meet
By Kabtamu Getachew (PhD) at a point. For such cases bridges, called interchanges are
1. Introduction provided. E.g. Gotera interchange, Addis Ababa

2. Investigation for bridge

3. Bridge type and selection
4. Bridge loading
5. Super structure design of bridge
6. Substructure design of bridge
7. Bearing and railing
8. Low level crossing and bridge maintenance

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By Kabtamu Getachew (PhD) 1 24-Oct-20 2

FUNDAMENTALS OF BRIDGE DESIGN COURSE …

6. Substructures
COURSE OUTLINE CENG5014 - Piers
1. Introduction - Abutments
- Wing Walls
- Scour Protection
2. Bridge Investigation
-SiteSelection 7. Bearings and Railings
-Data Collection, Span Determination 8. Culverts and Low Level Water Crossings

3. Types of Bridges and their Selection References:

- Types of Bridges
ERA Bridge Design Manual, 2002
-Selection of Bridges AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Manual
Bridge Engineering-Superstructure
Bridge Engineering Handbook, Wai-Fah Chen and Lian Duan. (2000)
4. Bridge Loading
Structural Engineering Handbook, Gaylord, E.H (1997)
- Types of Loads
- Distribution of Loads According to AASHTO Bridge Engineering, Ponnuswamy, S( 1999)
Design of Modern Concrete Highway Bridges, Heins and Lawrie (1984)
5. Superstructure Evaluation
- Reinforced Concrete Superstructures Assignment and Quizes 50%
- Steel Superstructures Final exam 50%
- Arches, Cable stayed, Suspension
- Composite Superstructures

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 Chapter 1 Introduction What is a BRIDGE?

•Bridge is a structure which covers a gap or obstacle

1.1 General Introduction: Bridge definition and importance
•Saying” Build a bridge and you will have afriend”
1.2 Historic Development: From Prehistoric to now
•Generally bridges carry a road or railway across a natural or
1.3 Elements of a Bridge Project
artificial obstacle such as, a river, canal or another railway
1.4 Design objectives or another road
1.5 Design Philosophy and Bridge Specification •Bridge is a structure corresponding to the heaviest
responsibility in carrying a free flow of transport and is the most
significant component of a transportation system in case of
communication over spacings/gaps for whatever reason such as
aquatic obstacles, valleys and gorges etc.

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It Controls the Capacity of the System

If the width of a bridge is insufficient to carry the

Bridge is the KEY ELEMENT number of lanes required to handle the traffic volume,
in a Transportation System the bridge will be a constriction to the flow of traffic.
If the strength of a bridge is deficient and unable to
carry heavy trucks, load limits will be posted and
truck traffic will be rerouted.
The bridge controls both the volume and weight of
the traffic carried by the transportation system.

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 Highest Cost per kilometer of the System If the Bridge Fails, the System Fails
The importance of a Bridge can be visualized by considering the
Bridges are expensive. The typical cost per kilometer of a comparison between the two main components of a highway system
bridge is many times that of the approach roads to the i.e. a road and bridge itself.
bridge.
EXAMPLE: Suppose in a road there occurs deterioration and
Since, bridge is the key element in a transportation ultimately a crack, thus making a sort of inconvenience but it wont
system, balance must be achieved between handling future result in stopping of the flow of traffic as traffic can pass or
traffic volume and loads and the cost of heavier and wider otherwise a bypass can be provided. The traffic no doubt will pass
bridge structure. with a slower speed but in case of a bridge its flow is completely
stopped incase of the failure of the bridge, that is the reason its often
called “If the bridge fails the structure fails” as the function of the
structure could no longer be served at all.

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1.2 History of Bridge Development

Bridges add beauty to cities and towns Natural Bridges 700 A.D. Asia

Many cities are and towns are built near river. Bridges aid cultural,
social, economical and role, add beauty
Great Stone Bridge in China
Clapper Bridge

In addition Bridges have military importance during war: For Tree trunk Low Bridge
Stone Shallow Arch
the of mobility army at war. Either construct or destroy
Strength of
Materials
Mathematical
Theories
Roman Arch Bridge
Development of
The Arch Metal
Natural Cement

100 B.C. Romans 1300 A.D. Renaissance

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 History of Bridge Development
Historic Development of Bridge in Ethiopia
1800 A.D. 1900 A.D. 2000 A.D.

• Before 16th thick log on Abay river(Alata)

• In1626 Portuguse , stone masony bridge, near Alata
Truss Bridges
Prestressed
First Cast-Iron Bridge Mechanics of Concrete • After 1667, many bridges built (Fassiledes)
Design
Coalbrookdale, England Steel
• in 17th and 18th ,Zemene Mesfint ,destroyed many
bridges civil war
• Emperor Tewdros he him self supervise,road
construction and bridges construction
Britannia Tubular Suspension Bridges
Bridge Use of Steel for the
Wrought Iron suspending cables

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How Bridges Work?

Historic Development of Bridge in Ethiopia
Every passing vehicle shakes the bridge up and down,
making waves that can travel at hundreds of kilometers per
Menelik period,1906
hour.
• Revival of bridges building in Ethiopia
Luckily the bridge is designed to damp them out, just as it is
• Timber bridge on Awash river and In Addis Ababa
designed to ignore the efforts of the wind to turn it into a
• 1935-1941 Italian invasion and bridge construction giant harp.
After 1941
A bridge is not a dead mass of metal and concrete: it has a life
• First higway project like today 1951-1957,US
of its own, and understanding its movements is as important
estabilished, ERA
as understanding the static forces.
• 1972 -1975 Local contractors began
• 1975 Rural division stabished
• This days ERA and other orginazation

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 Bridge Components and load transfer system Bridge Components and load transfer system

Span - the distance between two bridge Beam/slab - a rigid, usually horizontal, structural element
supports, whether they are columns, towers
or the wall of a canyon. Bem

Force - any action that tends to maintain or alter the position of a Pier
structure
Pier - a vertical supporting structure, such as a pillar
Compression - a force which acts to
compress or shorten the thing it is acting on.
Cantilever - a projecting structure supported only at one end, like
Tension - a force which acts to expand or a shelf bracket or a diving board
lengthen the thing it is acting on.
Load - weight distribution throughout a structure

Compression Tension
Abutment - Bridge end Supporting Retaining walls

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Bridge Components and load transfer system Bridge Components and load transfer system

Buckling is what happens when the force of

Truss - a rigid frame composed of short, straight pieces joined to compression overcomes an object's ability to
form a series of triangles or other stable shapes handle compression. A mode of failure
characterized generally by an unstable lateral
deflection due to compressive action on the
structural element involved.

Snapping is what happens when tension overcomes an object's

ability to handle tension.
Stable - (adj.) ability to resist collapse and deformation; stability
(n.) characteristic of a structure that is able to carry a realistic To dissipate forces is to spread them out over a greater area, so
load without collapsing or deforming significantly that no one spot has to bear the brunt of the concentrated force.
To transfer forces is to move the forces from an area of
Deform - to change shape weakness to an area of strength, an area designed to handle the
forces.

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 Basic Concepts and Bridge Components Bridge Components and load transfer system
Basic bridge Types:
•Beam Bridge Beam Bridge
•Arch Bridge
•Suspension Bridge
Consists of a horizontal beam supported at each end by piers.
The weight of the beam pushes straight down on the piers. The
farther apart its piers, the weaker the beam becomes. This is why
beam bridges rarely span more than 80m

The type of bridge used depends on various features of the

obstacle. The main feature that controls the bridge type is the size
of the obstacle. How far is it from one side to the other? This is a
major factor in determining what type of bridge to use.
The biggest difference between the three is the distances they
can each cross in a single span.
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Bridge Components and load transfer system Bridge Components and load transfer system
Beam Bridge Truss Bridge

Forces
When something pushes down on the beam, the beam
bends. Its top edge is pushed together, and its bottom edge
is pulled apart.

Forces
Every bar in this cantilever bridge experiences either a
pushing or pulling force. The bars rarely bend. This is why
cantilever bridges can span farther than beam bridges

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 Basic Concepts and Bridge Components Bridge Components and load transfer system
Arch Bridges Arch Bridges

The arch has great natural strength. Thousands of years ago, Forces
Romans built arches out of stone. Today, most arch bridges are
made of steel or concrete, and they can span up to 250m The arch is squeezed together, and this squeezing force is carried
outward along the curve to the supports at each end. The
supports, called abutments, push back on the arch and prevent the
ends of the arch from spreading apart.

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Bridge Components and load transfer system Bridge Components and load transfer system
Suspension Bridges Suspension Bridges
Forces
This kind of bridges can span 610m to 2000m way farther than
any other type of bridge! Most suspension bridges have a truss In all suspension bridges, the roadway hangs from massive steel
system beneath the roadway to resist bending and twisting. cables, which are draped over two towers and secured into solid
concrete blocks, called anchorages, on both ends of the bridge.
The cars push down on the roadway, but because the roadway is
suspended, the cables transfer the load into compression in the
two towers. The two towers support most of the bridge's weight.

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Bridge Components and load transfer system
Cable-Stayed Bridge

The cable-stayed bridge, like the suspension bridge, supports

the roadway with massive steel cables, but in a different way.
The cables run directly from the roadway up to a tower,
forming a unique "A" shape.
Cable-stayed bridges are becoming the most popular bridges
for medium-length spans (between 150m and 900m).

Thank you

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