| abutments |
- supports at the end of beam
or arch bridges |
| approaches |
- roads leading up to a bridge |
| anchorage |
- place where the
cables of a suspension bridge are secured into the ground |
| aqueduct |
- an arch bridge used
for transporting water |
| arch
bridge |
- a type of bridge
which is a curved structure; strength comes from exerting forc down and
sideways, against abutments |
| balance |
- forces must be opposite and
equal |
| bascule
bridge |
- a moveable bridge
which acts like a seesaw, allowing sections of the bridge to be lifted
using weights as a counterbalance |
| beam
bridge |
- simplest type of
bridge; made from a straight section which rests on two supports, one at
each end of the beam |
| bridge |
- something that
connects, supports or links one thing to another |
| cables |
- bundles of long wire
are are strung over towers on a suspension bridge and are anchored on land
- they hold up the decking of a suspension bridge |
| cable-stayed
bridge |
- a modern bridge
which is a combination of the cantilever and suspension bridge designs
without anchorages or many piers; support comes form cables which are
strung from the central tower to the deck |
| caisson |
- a hollow, watertight
compartment used for building sections of bridges underwater |
| cantilever
bridge |
- a type of beam bridge
which gets its support from counterbalanced beams meeting in the middle of
the bridge rather than supports at each end; tow arms of beam are called
cantilevers |
| cofferdam |
- a round or square dam that keeps
water out |
| compression |
- a force which tends
to reduce or shorten something by pressure - a push on something |
| covered
bridge |
- type of truss bridge
developed to slow down the wear and tear on the bridge's structure by
placing a protective cover over the decking |
| dead
load |
- weight of the bridge itself
because one the bridge is built, the dead load stays the same |
| deck |
- the place where people walk or
drive on a bridge |
| drawbridge |
- a moveable bridge
with a deck that can be raised and lowered |
| elasticity |
- the ability of a
material to return to its original shape and size with the load is
removed; allows materials to push or pull against forces caused by loads |
| engineer |
- many types; a
researcher and designer of bridges and other structures |
| equilibrium |
- a state of
equilibrium exists when one force is balanced by another force |
| foundation |
- the part in the ground that the
supports of the bridge rest on |
| framework |
- a skeletal
arrangement of materials that gives form and support to a structure |
| gephyrophobia |
- the fear of crossing bridges |
| girder |
- a strong, horizontal,
main supporting beam on a bridge |
| hand
or guard rail |
- safety feature added
to the sides of a bridge's deck to prevent people, animals or vehicles
from falling off the bridge |
| hangers |
- these run from the cables to the
deck on a suspension bridge to hold the deck up |
| joint |
- a moveable corner
where two parts are connected |
| keystone |
- a wedge-shaped piece
that is the top/middle stone in an arch
bridge |
| lift
bridge |
- a moveable bridge
which works like an elevator; the roadway, which is attached to two
columns, raises up vertically to allow for passage underneath |
| live
load |
- the weight of the traffic since
it changes all of the time |
| multiple
arch bridge |
- used to bridge
ravines with steep, solid walls and carry very heavy loads; usually build
with completed sections |
| obstacle |
- something that stands
in the way or acts as a barrier |
| piers |
- supports in the middle of beam
and arch bridges |
| piling |
- long, slender column
driven into the ground to support a load |
| pontoon
bridge |
- a type of moveable
bridge which floats on the water; can be temporary and disassembled and
transported to different locations or permanent |
| pulley |
- a wheel which is used
for hoisting or changing direction of a force |
| ramp |
- inclined section that
connects the land to the deck of a bridge |
| rebar |
- reinforced concrete often made
with steel bars called "rebar" which is short for
"reinforced bar" |
| reinforced
concrete |
- concrete strengthened with steel
rods |
| roadway |
- area of a bridge on
which traffic travels; it rests on the decking |
| Roman
arch bridge |
- used to cross rivers;
to support the tremendous weight of water in aqueducts used frequently in
the cities of the Roman Empire |
| shear |
- occurs when a
material is divided by two parallel but opposing compression forces; one
part of the material slides past the other part because of a shearing
force |
| span |
- distance between the supports of
the bridge |
| staking
out |
- surveyor's talk for figuring out
where and how deep the bridge's supports have to be |
| stress |
- a force that tends to
distort the shape of a structure |
| support |
- an object that holds
a bridge up and serves as a foundation |
| suspender |
- supporting cable hung
vertically from the main cable of the suspension bridge which holds up the
deck |
| suspension
bridge |
- a type of bridge that
is supported on huge steel cables anchored into the ground |
| swing
bridge |
- a type of moveable
bridge with a middle section of the roadway that swings around a central
pier to open up a passage for travel |
| symmetry |
- an arrangement that
is balanced and equal on opposite sides of a center dividing line |
| tension |
- a force which tends
to length or pull on something |
| through
arch bridge |
- bridge that provides
a long span with high clearance over the water with no piers to obstruct
navigation |
| torsion |
- tendency of a
material to be twisted ; a wrench tightens or loosens a bolt using torsion
force |
| towers |
- supports in the middle of a
suspension bridge |
| trestle
bridge |
- type of truss bridge
typically used for travel by heavy trains; made from a large number of
trusses; built very tall and sturdy |
| triangulation |
- building concept
where triangles are made from squares in order to enhance the strength of
a structure |
| truss |
- triangular shape
included in the framework of a structure |
| truss
bridge |
- a type of beam bridge
identified by the triangular shapes included in its framework |
| vertical
lift bridge |
- a bridge that is
lowered for highway traffic and raised for water traffic |
| viaduct |
- a bridge with high
supporting towers or piers which carries a road or railroad over land |
| voussoir |
- a true arch with
wedge-shaped pieces that fit snugly together against abutments |
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