BRIDGE COMPONENTS

Figure 1. A typical span slab-on-stringer bridge

site and its representative components
I. SUPERSTRUCTURE
The basic superstructure
components consist of the
following:
1. Wearing surface
2. The Deck
3. Primary members
(Stringers or girders)
4. Secondary members
(Diaphragms, lateral
bracing)
1. THE WEARING SURFACE (COURSE)
 is the topmost layer of
material applied upon the
deck to provide a smooth
riding surface and to protect
the deck from the effects of
traffic and weathering. In
some instances this is a
separate layer made of
bituminous material, while in
some other cases it is an
integral part of concrete deck.
2. DECK
 the physical extension of the roadway across the obstruction to be
bridged.
 can be reinforced concrete slabs or stiffened steel plates, etc.
 the component of a bridge to which the live load is directly applied
 to provide a smooth and safe riding surface for the traffic utilizing
the bridge and to distribute loads transversely along the bridge cross
section.
• Deck Materials
• There are three common materials used in the
construction of bridge decks:
Timber
Concrete
Steel
Timber Decks
Timber decks are
normally referred to as
decking or timber
flooring and the term is
limited to the roadway
portion which receives
vehicular loads.
Concrete Deck
• Concrete permits casting in various shapes and sizes and has provided
the bridge designer and the bridge builder with a variety of
construction methods.
• Because concrete is weak in tension, it is used together with
reinforcement to resist the tensile stresses.
Steel Deck
• Steel decks are decks composed of either solid steel plate or steel
grids.
 3. PRIMARY MEMBERS
distribute loads longitudinally and
are usually designed principally to
resist flexure and shear.
• Beam type primary members such
as those in the figure are also
called stringers or girders.
• Rather than have the slab rest
directly on the primary member, a
small fillet or haunch can be
placed between the deck slab and
the top flange of the stringer. The
primary function for the haunch is
to adjust the geometry between
the stringer and the finished deck.
 4. SECONDARY MEMBERS
are bracing between primary members
designed to resist cross-sectional
deformation of the superstructure frame
and help distribute part of the vertical
load between stringers.
Other Secondary members, (such as
lateral bracing) composed of crossed
frames at the top or bottom flange of a
stringer, are used to resist lateral
deformation. caused by loads acting
perpendicularly to a bridge's longitudinal
axis.
 II. SUBSTRUCTURE
The basic substructure components
consist of the following:
1. Abutments
2. Piers
3. Bearings
4. Pedestals
5. Stem
6. Backwall
7. Wingwall
8. Footing
9. Piles
10. Sheeting
1. ABUTMENTS
 are earth-retaining structures
which support the
superstructure and overpass
roadway at the beginning and
end of a bridge. Like a
retaining all, the abutments
resist the longitudinal forces
of the earth underneath the
overpass roadway.
 connects the bridge with the
approach roadway
2. PIERS
 structures which support the super structure at intermediate points
between the end supports (abutments). If the bridge consists of only
one span, it logically does not require a pier.
From an aesthetic standpoint, piers are one of the most visible
components of a highway bridge and can make the difference
between a visually pleasing structure and an unattractive one.
Some basic type of piers
Column Bent or Open Bent
Cantilever Pier
3. BEARINGS
are mechanical systems which transmit the vertical and horizontal
loads of the superstructure to the substructure, and accommodate
movements between the superstructure and the substructure.
The use and functionality of bearings vary greatly depending on the
size and configuration of the bridge.
• Expansion bearings - bearings allowing both rotation and longitudinal
translation.
• Fixed bearings - those which allow rotation only.
4. PEDESTALS
a short column on an abutment
or pier under a bearing which
directly supports a superstructure
primary member. The term
bridge seat is also used to refer
to the elevation at the top surface
of the pedestal. Normally
pedestals are designed with
different heights to obtain the
required bearing elevations.
5. STEM
 a primary component of the abutment supporting pedestals on top of
a footing.
 its main function is to transfer loads from superstructure to the
foundation.
6. BACKWALL
 the component of the abutment acting as a retaining structure on
top of the stem. It also supports an approach slab.

7. WINGWALL
 A wingwall is a side wall to the abutment backwall or stem designed
to assist in confining earth behind the abutment.
Wingwall
8. FOOTING
 As bearings transfer the superstructure loads to the substructure, so
in turn do the abutment and pier footings transfer loads from the
substructure to the subsoil or piles.
A footing supported by soil without piles is called a spread footing. A
footing supported by piles, is known as a pile cap.
9. PILES
 When the soil under a footing cannot provide adequate support for
the substructure (in terms of bearing capacity, overall stability, or
settlement), support is obtained through the use of piles, which
extend down from the footing to a stronger soil layer or to bedrock.

10. SHEETING
 the vertical planks which are driven to the ground to act as
temporary retaining walls permitting excavation.
Steel
sheeting
III. APPURTENANCES AND SITE-RELATED
FEATURES
• An appurtenance is any part of the bridge or bridge site which is not a
major structural component yet serves some purpose in the overall
functionality of the structure (i.e guide rails). The bridge site, as an
entity, possesses many different components which, in one way or
another, integrates with the structure.
The major appurtenances and site related
features are:
 Guide rails: designed to keep people or vehicles from (in most cases unintentionally)
lose their way into a dangerous or off-limits areas
 Embankment and slope protection: both aesthetically pleasing and provide for proper
drainage and erosion control
 Under drain: is a drainage system made of perforated pipe or other suitable conduit that
transports runoff away from the structure and into appropriate drainage channels
 Approach: The section of overpass roadway which leads up to and away from the bridge
abutments. It helps to evenly distribute traffic loads on the soil behind the abutment,
and minimizes impact to the abutment which can result from differential settlement
between the abutment and the approach.
 Traffic barriers: protective device “used to shield motorists from obstacles or slope
located along either side of roadway.” Traffic barriers can range from a guard rail made of
corrugated steel to reinforced concrete parapets. On bridges, they are usually called
bridge railings.