1 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

Unit 1: BRIDGE TYPES

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

valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of
bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where
the bridge is constructed, the material used to make it and the funds available to
build it.
There are six main types of bridges: beam bridges, truss bridges, arch bridges,
cantilever bridges, suspension bridges and cable-stayed bridges.

Beam bridges
Beam bridges are horizontal beams supported at
each end by abutments, hence their structural name
of simply supported. When there is more than one
span the intermediate supports are known as piers. The earliest beam bridges were
simple logs that sat across streams and similar simple structures. In modern times,
beam bridges are large box steel girder bridges. Weight on top of the beam pushes
straight down on the abutments at either end of the bridge. They are made up mostly
of wood or metal. Beam bridges typically do not exceed 76 m long. The world's
longest beam bridge is Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in southern Louisiana in the
United States, at 38.35 km, with individual spans of 17 m.

Truss bridges
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected
elements (typically straight) which may be stressed
from tension, compression, or sometimes both in
response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern
bridges. The basic types of truss bridges shown in this article have simple designs
which could be easily analyzed by nineteenth and early twentieth century engineers.
A truss bridge is economical to construct owing to its efficient use of materials.

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

2 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

Arch bridges
Arch bridges have abutments at each end. The
earliest known arch bridges were built by the
Greeks, and include the Arkadiko Bridge. The
weight of the bridge is thrust into the abutments at either side. Dubai in the United
Arab Emirates is currently building the Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Crossing, which is
scheduled for completion in 2012. When completed, it will be the largest arch
bridge in the world.

Cantilever bridges
Cantilever bridges are built using cantilevers—
horizontal beams supported on only one end. Most
cantilever bridges use a pair of continuous spans that
extend from opposite sides of the supporting piers to meet at the center of the
obstacle the bridge crosses. Cantilever bridges are constructed using much the same
materials & techniques as beam bridges. The difference comes in the action of the
forces through the bridge. The largest cantilever bridge is the 549 m Quebec Bridge
in Quebec, Canada.

Suspension bridges
Suspension bridges are suspended from cables. The
earliest suspension bridges were made of ropes or
vines covered with pieces of bamboo. In modern
bridges, the cables hang from towers that are attached to caissons or cofferdams.
The caissons or cofferdams are implanted deep into the floor of a lake or river. The
longest suspension bridge in the world is the 3,909 m Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in
Japan.

Cable-stayed bridges
Cable-stayed bridges, like suspension bridges, are
held up by cables. However, in a cable-stayed
bridge, less cable is required and the towers holding

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

3 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

the cables are proportionately shorter. The first known cable-stayed bridge was
designed in 1784 by C.T. Loescher. The longest cable-stayed bridge is the Sutong
Bridge over the Yangtze River in China.

By use
A bridge is designed for trains, pedestrian or road traffic, a pipeline or waterway for
water transport or barge traffic. An aqueduct is a bridge that carries water,
resembling a viaduct, which is a bridge that connects points of equal height. A road-
rail bridge carries both road and rail traffic.
Bridges are subject to unplanned uses as well. The areas underneath some bridges
have become makeshift shelters and homes to homeless people, and the undersides
of bridges all around the world are spots of prevalent graffiti. Some bridges attract
people attempting suicide, and become known as suicide bridges.
To create a beautiful image, some bridges are built much taller than necessary. This
type, often found in east-Asian style gardens, is called a Moon bridge, evoking a
rising full moon. Other garden bridges may cross only a dry bed of stream washed
pebbles, intended only to convey an impression of a stream. Often in palaces a
bridge will be built over an artificial waterway as symbolic of a passage to an
important place or state of mind. A set of five bridges cross a sinuous waterway in
an important courtyard of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the People's Republic of
China. The central bridge was reserved exclusively for the use of the Emperor,
Empress, and their attendants.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

4 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B.

A B
1. Beam bridge a. In theory, the individual parts of this structure only
subject to tension and compression forces but not
bending forces.
2. Truss bridge b. The second oldest bridge type. This structure doesn’t
require piers in the center and uses a curved structure.
3. Arch bridge c. The support is in the middle of a span, not the end.
4. Cantilever bridge d. This structure is a continuous girder with one or more
towers erected above piers in the middle of the span.
5. Suspension bridge e. This structure often uses I-beams or box girders in their
construction.
6. Cable-stayed bridge f. This structure allows for the longest spans.

Word Pronounced
beam biːm
truss trʌs
arch ɑːtʃ
cantilever ˈkæntɪliːvə(r)
suspension səˈspenʃn
cable-stayed ˈkeɪbl-steɪ

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

5 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

Vocabulary
Word Pronounced Meaning
span spæn the part of a bridge or an arch between one
vertical support and another
obstacle ˈɒbstəkl an object that is in your way and that makes it
difficult for you to move forward
terrain təˈreɪn used to refer to an area of land when you are
mentioning its natural features
material məˈtɪəriəl a substance that things can be made from
fund fʌnd money that is available to be spent
abutment əˈbʌtmənt a masonry mass supporting and receiving the
thrust of part of an arch or vault
stream striːm a continuous flow of liquid or gas
box steel girder bɒks stiːl ˈɡɜːrdər
element ˈelɪmənt a necessary or typical part of something
tension ˈtenʃn the state of being stretched tight
compression kəmˈpreʃn an increase in pressure of the charge in an
engine or compressor obtained by reducing its
volume
dynamic load daɪˈnæmɪk ləʊd a force exerted by a moving body on a
resisting member, usually in a relatively short
time interval.
thrust θrʌst to push something/somebody suddenly or
violently in a particular direction
schedule ˈʃedjuːl a plan that lists all the work that you have to
do and when you must do each thing
continuous span kənˈtɪnjuəs spæn a span which is formed of a series of
consecutive spans (over three or more
supports) that are continuously or rigidly
connected so that bending moment may be
transmitted from one span to the adjacent ones
pier pɪə(r) a large strong piece of wood, metal or stone
that is used to support a roof, wall, bridge, etc.

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

6 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

suspend səˈspend to hang something from something else

cable ˈkeɪbl a set of wires, covered in plastic or rubber,
that carries electricity, telephone signals, etc
caisson kəˈsuːn a watertight chamber open at the bottom and
containing air under pressure, used to carry
out construction work under water
cofferdam ˈkɒfəˌdæm a watertight structure, usually of sheet piling,
that encloses an area under water, pumped dry
to enable construction work to be carried out.
tower ˈtaʊə(r) a tall narrow building or part of a building,
especially of a church or castle
train treɪn a railway/railroad engine pulling a number of
coaches/cars or trucks, taking people and
goods from one place to another
pedestrian pəˈdestriən a person walking in the street and not
travelling in a vehicle
road traffic rəʊd ˈtræfɪk a hard surface built for vehicles to travel on
pipeline ˈpaɪplaɪn a series of pipes that are usually underground
and are used for carrying oil, gas, etc. over
long distances
waterway ˈwɔːtəweɪ a river, canal, etc. along which boats can
travel
water transport ˈwɔːtə(r) ˈtrænspɔːt
barge bɑːdʒ a large boat with a flat bottom, used for
carrying goods and people on canals and
rivers
aqueduct ˈækwɪdʌkt a structure for carrying water, usually one
built like a bridge across a valley or low
ground
road-rail bridge rəʊd-reɪl brɪdʒ
makeshift shelter ˈmeɪkʃɪft ˈʃeltə(r) used temporarily for a particular purpose
because the real thing is not available
prevalent graffiti ˈprevələnt ɡrəˈfiːti

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

7 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

suicide ˈsuːɪsaɪd the act of killing yourself deliberately

dry bed draɪ bed
convey kənˈveɪ to make ideas, feelings, etc. known to
somebody
pebble ˈpebl a smooth, round stone that is found in or near
water
artificial ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl made or produced to copy something natural;
not real
exclusively ɪkˈskluːsɪvli only given to one particular person or group
attendant əˈtendənt a person whose job is to serve or help people
in a public place

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

8 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

Further reading
Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is a

suspension bridge spanning the
Golden Gate, the opening of the San
Francisco Bay into the Pacific
Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route
101 and California State Route 1, the
structure links the city of San
Francisco on the northern tip of the
San Francisco Peninsula to Marin
County. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world
when it was completed in 1937, and has become one of the most internationally
recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and of the United States. Despite its
span length being surpassed by eight other bridges since its completion, it still has the
second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-
Narrows Bridge in New York City. It has been declared one of the modern Wonders of
the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Frommers travel guide
considers the Golden Gate Bridge "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most
photographed, bridge in the world".
(Source: Wikipedia)

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam

9 English for Road and Bridge Engineering

Sutong Yangtze River Bridge

The Sutong Yangtze River Bridge

is a cable-stayed bridge that spans
the Yangtze River in China between
Nantong and Changshu, a satellite
city of Suzhou, in Jiangsu province.
With a span of 1,088 metres
(3,570 ft), it is the cable-stayed
bridge with the longest main span in
the world as of 2011. Its two side
spans are 300 metres (980 ft) each, and there are also four small cable spans. The
bridge received the 2010 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award (OCEA)
from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Two towers of the bridge are 306 metres (1,004 ft) high and thus the second tallest
in the world. The total bridge length is 8,206 metres (26,923 ft). Construction began in
June 2003, and the bridge was linked up in June 2007. The bridge was opened to
traffic on 25 May 2008 and was officially opened on 30 June 2008. Construction has
been estimated to cost about US$1.7 billion.
The completion of the bridge makes the commute between Shanghai and Nantong,
previously a four-hour ferry ride, shorten to about an hour. It brings Nantong one step
closer to becoming an important part of the Yangtze River Delta economic zone, and
has further attracted foreign investors into the city. The bridge is also pivotal in the
development of poorer northern Jiangsu regions.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Authors: Do Viet Hai – Phan Hoang Nam