How Suspension Bridges Work

from the award-winning team at HowStuffWorks

There's no doubt you've seen a these forces without buckling or suspended roadway,
bridge, and it's almost as likely snapping. Buckling is what the cables transfer
that you've traveled over one. happens when the force of the compression to
Bridges are truly ubiquitous -- a compression overcomes an the towers, which bridge can
odern arch
natural part of ever yday life. A object's ability to handle dissipate the While a m 80 0 or 1,000
up to
bridge provides passage over compression, and snapping is compression directly safely span on br id ge can
ensi
feet, a susp uch as seven
some sort of obstacle – and the what happens when the force of into the earth where span as m
tension overcomes an object's they are firmly e -- up to
type of bridge used usually times mor .
depends on the size of that ability to handle tension. The best entrenched. 7,000 feet
obstacle. A suspension bridge, way to deal with these forces is
the pinnacle of bridge technology, to either dissipate them or The suppor ting cables,
is capable of spanning up to transfer them. To dissipate force running between the two
7,000 feet. It manages this feat is to spread it out over a greater anchorages, are the lucky
by successfully dealing with two area, so that no one spot has to recipients of the tension forces.
impor tant forces called bear the brunt of the The cables are literally stretched
compression and tension. concentrated force. To transfer from the weight of the bridge and
force is to move it from an area its traffic as they run from
Compression is a force that acts of weakness to an area of anchorage to anchorage. The
to compress or shorten the thing strength, an area designed to anchorages are also under
it is acting on. Tension is a force handle the force. tension, but since they, like the
that acts to expand or lengthen towers, are held firmly to the
the thing it is acting on. A simple, A suspension bridge is one where ear th, the tension they
everyday example of compression cables (or ropes or chains) are experience is dissipated.
and tension is a spring. When we strung across the river (or
press down, or push the two ends whatever the obstacle happens to Almost all suspension bridges
of the spring together, we be) and the deck is suspended have, in addition to the cables, a
compress it. The force of from these cables. Modern supporting truss system beneath
compression shortens the spring. suspension bridges have two tall the bridge deck (a deck truss).
When we pull up, or pull apart the towers through which the cables This helps to stiffen the deck and
two ends, we create tension in are strung. Thus, the towers are reduce the tendency of the
the spring. The force of tension suppor ting the majority of the roadway to sway and ripple.
lengthens the spring. roadway's weight.

Compression and tension are The force of compression pushes

present in all bridges, and it's the down on the suspension bridge's
job of the bridge design to handle deck, but because it is a

Tower Cables

Anchor

Suspenders

Deck Truss
Anchor

Modern Suspension Bridge Cable-Stayed Bridge

Cables Cables
under Tension under Tension

Anchors
under
Tension
Towers Tower
under under
Pressure Compression
Suspension bridges come in two The cable-stayed bridge has more of
different designs: the modern an "A" shape. Instead of requiring
suspensionÊbridge and cable-stayed. two towers and four anchorages, the
A modern suspension bridge can be cables on a cable-stayed bridge are
easily identified by its elongated "M" run from the roadway up to a single
shape. tower where they are secured.
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For release of 10/12/03