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BY SCOTT
DUTFIELD
·
08/10/2019

The
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and Buy Online

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How It Works
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A 1,000-year-old amulet of Tho
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stru of the Viking god of war in Ma

ctur
es

All
over
the
globe,
bridges
come
in
FAST FACTS ON INSTAGRAM
many
(@HOWITWORKSMAG)
shapes
and
sizes.
The
humble
structure
was
born
by
simply
balancing
a
horizontal
beam
across
two
pillars.
However,
as
demand
grew,
wider
gaps
needed
to be
crossed
and
more
weight
had to
be
carried.
This
created
the
need
for
arches.
Utilised
by the
Ancient
Romans,
the
arch
shape
could
hold
massive
amounts
of
weight
and
was a
revelation
in
creating
larger
and
stronger
bridges.
However,
arches
could
only
reach
a
certain
length.
To
cross
larger
expanses,
even
longer
bridges
have
to be
constructed.
These
are
called
suspension
bridges.
These
work
using
a
combination
of
compression
and
tension
forces
that
run
through
a
cable
system.
The
road
or
‘deck’
is laid
out
across
these
cables,
which
are
strung
together
with
the
correct
balance
of the
two
forces
so it
won’t
buckle
or
snap
under
pressure.
On
most
suspension
bridges,
a
tower
is
placed
at
either
end to
take
the
strain
and
weight.
Iconic
examples
of
these
bridges
include
the
Golden
Gate
Bridge
in San
Francisco
and
England’s
Humber
Bridge.
Away
from
the
road,
bridges
are
also
used
for rail
and
water
transport.
These
bridges
are
often
even
longer
and
stronger
as
they
have
to
ferry
water
or
huge
freight
and
passenger
trains
or
ferries
over
vast
distances.
Seven
of the
ten
longest
bridges
in the
world
are
located
in
China,
with
most
of
these
being
rail
bridges.
As
technology
and
engineering
improves,
even-
more
expansive
bridges
could
be in
the
pipeline.
There
has
been
talk of
a
bridge
between
England
and
France
and a
crossing
through
the
Strait
of
Gibraltar
connecting
Europe
and
Africa.
Although
it may
seem
far-
fetched,
the
16-
kilometre
(ten-
mile)
Øresund
Bridge
that
links
Denmark
and
Sweden
has
demonstrated
that
cross-
country
bridges
can be
constructed
successfully.

The
key
feat
ures
of a
sus
pen
sion
brid
ge

How
the
world’s
most
impressive
bridges
work

Click
to
expand

Typ
es
of
brid
ge

Arc
h
One
of the
oldest
methods
of
bridge
building,
the
arch
bridge
is
made
by
compressing
stone,
steel
and
concrete
with
the
finished
arch
working
as a
wind
bracer.
They
can
range
from
small
brick
designs
to tall
and
extensive
metal
constructions.
Sus
pen
sio
n
This
type
of
bridge
is
made
of
steel
plates
and
cables.
Suspension
bridges
use a
combination
of
tension
and
compression,
which
is
carried
by the
cables
to
towers
at
either
end.
The
cables
transfer
the
weight
to the
towers.
Their
light
weight
allows
them
 to
span
long
distances.

Bea
m
Made
out of
wood
or
iron,
beam
bridges
are
the
simplest
type
of
bridge
construction.
The
weight
is put
on
two
support
girders
on
either
side
of the
crossing.
The
earliest
examples
of
beam
bridges
came
in the
form
of
humble
logs
 or
tree
trunks
across
streams
and
rivers.

Cab
le-
sta
yed
The
cable-
stayed
bridge
is one
of the
most
common
in
contemporary
bridge
building.
They
have
one or
more
towers,
each
of
which
uses
vertical
compression
to
move
the
forces
from
the
cables
through
to the
foundations,
reducing
the
strain
and
stress
on
each
part
of the
bridge.

This
article
was
originally
published
in
How
It
Works
issue
64,
written
by
Jack
Griffiths

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