UNITY UNIVERSITY

Department of Civil Engineering

Fundamental of Bridge
1. Investigation For Bridge

By
Amanuel W. (MSc.)
 General Introduction
 Elevated structure that crosses over a river or any water
body, deep gorges or valleys or other obstructions and
permitting the smooth and safe passage of vehicles, trains
and pedestrians
Elements of Bridge:
 Super structure
 Deck slab, floor system, posts, main girder, truss and
railings
 Sub structure
 Pier, abutment, wing wall, pedestals, bearings, back
wall and etc.

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Elements of Bridge

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General Design Requirements As Per ERA
Design Manual
Economical span:- usually dictated by the hydraulic requirement.
For a given span, the most economical span is the length at which
superstructure cost equals to substructure cost
Hydraulic requirements:- bridges are designed to accommodate
design discharge at design flood level.
Free board height: the waterway below the superstructure must be
designed to pass the design flood and the floating debris carried on it.
The minimum free board above the design water level

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 Cont’d
 For arched structures, the clearance shall be measured at the
quarter points of the span.
 The clear height of roads shall normally be 5.1 meters for
underpasses.
 Light superstructures (i.e. timber, steel trusses, steel girders,
etc.) Above roadways shall have a clearance height of at least 5.3
m.
 Underpasses for pedestrians and bicycles should not be less than 2.4
m height.
Free (clear) opening: is the face-to-face distance between
supported components. It shall be measured perpendicular to
the supports.
Total (overall) bridge length: is the distance between the rear
ends of the wing walls or abutments
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 Cont’d
Span length should be:
 For simple spans: the distance from center to center of
supports but need not exceed clear span plus thickness of
slab.
 For members that are not built integrally with their
supports: the clear span plus the depth of the member but
need not exceed the distance between centers of supports.

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 Cont’d
Theoretical span length: is the distance between the centers of
bearings
Width of bridge deck: the width is to be measured between the
inside of the railings or the curbs

Pedestrian lane width: protected by a barrier with end

treatment having protection for both pedestrians and vehicles
shall not be less than 1.5 m wide August 15, 2022 7
 Cont’d
Cross fall: a cross fall of 2% (1 to 50), as well as longitudinal slope
(grade) of 1% (1 to 100), should be provided
Deflection: deflection limits shall be considered for concrete,
and/or steel construction:
 Vehicular load, general…………………………………span/500
 Vehicular and/or pedestrian load………………………span/800
 Vehicular load on cantilever arms………………………Span/300
 Vehicular and/or pedestrian loads on cantilever arms.......Span/400
 Uplift of a free end of the bridge deck ………………… 5 mm

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 Cont’d
Minimum dimensions of bridge Components(As per ERA
manual)

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 Cont’d

Design working life:

 Concrete, stone and steel bridges shall be designed for
100 years working life and
 Concrete and steel culverts with an opening or diameter
less than 2.0 m and all timber bridges shall be designed for
50 years working life.

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 Site Investigation and Selection
Factors to be carefully considered while selecting the ideal site
for a proposed bridge:-
 Connection with roads
 Firm embankments
 Foundations
 Material and labor
 Square crossing
 Straight reach of river
 Velocity of flow of water and width of the river

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Demonstration of Bridge Components with AID
of Photographs

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 Cont’d

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 Cont’d

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Lateral Bracing

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Pier and Pedestals

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Back Wall & Wing Wall

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Pier & Pier Cap

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THE END

Thank you!!!
Questions ???