Science Bridge Test
A triangles is a very strong geometric shape (stronger than a four-sided shape) and difficult to change. The triangle is able to distribute forces equally over the entire shape so that the load is not concentrated on one member.
Explain the importance of using the shape of a triangle in bridge design
The economic and social breakdown of the period led to the stoppage of bridge construction
List the factors that led to the halting of bridge building during the dark ages
Brooklyn Bridge - NYC Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge - Japan
Name several of the most important suspension bridges and where they are located
a support holding the left and right sides of a bridge together
Strut
a T-shaped support added to the end posts, top chord, etc to strengthen a wood splint bridge
T-beam
Pier & beam (fallen logs or clapper bridge - Tarr Steps) Suspension bridge (woven grass fiber rope bridges of the Inca Indians) Stone arch bridge: (Romans)
What are the 3 earliest bridge types?
The deck will bend
What happens to a deck when the deck's upper surface is compressed and its lower surface is under tension?
A bridge is a structure designed to permit pedestrians and vehicles to cross over some obstacle (rivers, bays. Or other bodies of water)
What is a bridge? What are bridges used for?
Civil engineering is a profession dedicated to the construction of roads, dams, communication towers, etc
What is civil engineering? What does a civil engineer do?
Racking is the kind of stress that distorts a square. Add a diagonal from corner to corner to prevent racking.
What is racking and how can racking be fixed?
Tension
What kinds of stresses occur in the cables of a suspension bridge
Romans
What people were responsible for building the ancient stone arch bridges?
They have the names of the men who first designed them
Where did most bridge trusses get their names?
the very bottom horizontal beam of a bridge truss
bottom chord
mass of load/the mass of bridge
bridge efficiency
Both are forces acting on the structure of a bridge. Tension is a pulling force and is active in the cables of a suspension bridge. Compression is a pushing or squashing force and is active in the stones of a stone arch bridge (or the concrete towers of a suspension bridge)
compare and contrast tension and compression
the structure on which vehicles travel
deck (or roadway)
cross member beneath the road that helps to support the road
floor beam
a plate used to reinforce a joint
gusset plate
the weight supported by the bridge; live load is the weight of the traffic expected on the bridge; dead load is the weight of the bridge itself
load (live or dead)
length of the bridge from one end support to the other
span
suspension bridge structures which hold up the deck
steel cables
the part of the bridge below the road
substructure
the truss above the deck or road
superstructure
very top horizontal beam of a bridge truss
top chord
a structural framework made up of straight members arranged into triangles
truss
Wood is a readily available, cheap, renewable, and strong. Its greatest disadvantage is that it rots over time and when left untreated, is also subject to insect damage
what are the advantages of using wood for bridge building?