Koshko Lewandowski Shin 1

Jack Koshko, Stephen Lewandowski, and James Shin

Mrs. Cybulski and Mr. McMillan
IDS and Physics
28 January 2016
Cantilever Through Truss Bridges
Bridges are very important in the building process because they can help do what nothing
else can but what is a bridge? A bridge is a structure which extends a road, path, or railroad
across obstacles such as rivers, ravines, roads, and railroads. One type of bridge is the cantilever
through truss bridge, also known as a suspended span bridge. This is a bridge that is formed by
two supported cantilevers which provide the main support for the bridge on each end and are
connected in the center through a system of trusses.
A cantilever through truss bridge is made up of three distinct portions,
a cantilever on both ends and a suspended truss bridge in the center connecting the two
cantilevers. A cantilever is a horizontal structure supported only on one end. It is built this way in
order to span across sections of land and waterways that normally are too large for most bridges
to reach on both sides. This structure is very supportive and strong. With the right materials, a
steel cantilever truss bridge can span from any to distance to well over 1,500 feet. This type of
bridge has been used for many purposes such as the crossing of pedestrians, trains, and
automobiles. The cantilevers of the bridge are especially useful when it comes to spanning a
waterway without
dividing it with river piers.

Figure 1. Examples of Cantilevers

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Figure one gives examples of how cantilevers work in order to support the weight that
runs across it. Each one is a beam that extends far out to the side with support on one side of the
beam and no support on the other. Due to its nature, both sides of the beam are structurally
sound.
Cantilever through truss bridges have some similarities to beam, arch, and suspension
bridges but also differ greatly. While cantilever through truss bridges have three separate parts
that come together to create one bridge, beam, arch, and suspension bridges are all one bridge.
Beam bridges are the oldest and simplest types of bridges, are easy to build, and are inexpensive
compared to other bridges. A disadvantage to beam bridges is that they do not allow vehicles to
pass below them. Arch bridges are normally used because of their strength and charming
appearance. Arches only cover a short distance unless there are multiple arches
together. Suspension bridges are built because they are strong and can span long distances but
they are very expensive and complex to build. Although cantilever through truss bridges are
complex to build and sometimes hard to maintain, they can cover a very large area of land or
water and are also very strong.

Figure 2. Beam Bridge

Figure two gives an example of a beam bridge made up of piers and horizontal beams.
The arrows represent the forces acting on the bridge. As weight is added to the center, the beam
begins to bend which causes the top of the surface to be compressed and the bottom of the
surface to be in tension.

Figure 3. Arch Bridge

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Figure three gives an example of an arch bridge. The compressive forces created by the
load on the bridge are transferred downward through the arch and resisted by the abutments at
the base, which prevent the arch from spreading and flexing when under load.

Figure 4. Suspension Bridge

Figure four gives an example of a suspension bridge. Any load applied to the bridge is
transformed into tension in the main cables which are firmly anchored to resist the force of
tension.
Figure 5. Force Diagram of a Cantilever Through Truss Bridge
Figure five shows a force diagram of a cantilever through truss bridge. The yellow arrows
represent the load and weight on the bridge due to gravity while the blue arrows represent the
tension on the bridge and the red arrows represent the compression of the bridge.
There are many cantilever through truss bridges used in the
world today and two known examples are the Quebec Bridge and the Crescent City
Connection Bridge. The Quebec Bridge is located in Quebec, Canada, and was built in
1917. It spans a distance of 1,800
feet (549 meters) over the St. Lawrence River, which makes it the world's longest cantilever brid
ge. The Crescent City Connection Bridge is located in New Orleans, Louisiana and has dual
spans meaning that there are two cantilever through truss bridges side by side.
The first span was built in 1958 while the second span was built in 1988. These bridges cover a d
istance of 1,575 feet (480 meters) over the Mississippi River.
The cantilever through truss bridge is a system of two different types of bridges
combined together in which the cantilevers act as the main support while the truss part of the
bridge sits in between the two cantilevers. There is one cantilever on each end of the path, such

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as a river or a road, that is connected by a suspended truss bridge in the middle. Most of the time
its primary use is to connect land over long distances of water. Many differences, either positive
or negative, between cantilever through truss bridges and beam, arch, and suspension
bridges exist because some bridges allow vehicles to pass through them, some are stronger,
and some are more useful for connecting areas of long distances over water and land. The top
half of the cantilevers support the force of tension on the bridge and the bottom of the half of the
cantilevers are used against the force of compression on the bridge. Cantilever through truss
bridges are a crucial part in todays society when needing to connect to sides separated by a
large amount of land or water.

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Works Cited and Bibliography

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<http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/types/cantilever>.
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id=276>.
Miller, Miss. "Bridges." Building Structures. Weebly, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
<http://buildingstructures.weebly.com/bridges.html>.
Ricketts, Bruce. "Quebec Bridge Collapse." Canada History and Mysteries. Mysteries of
Canada, 30 Oct. 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/quebec/quebec-bridge-collapse/>.
Solomon, Alyssa. "Bristol Public Schools: Types of Bridges." Bristol Public Schools: Types of
Bridges. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.bristol.k12.ct.us/page.cfm?p=7111>.