Highway Bridge Structures
Bridge
is
astructurebuilt tospanphysical obstacles such as abody of water,valley, orroad, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle.
Slab on Stringer
A
type of bridge composed of a deck resting on a set of primary members. Also known as Slab-onGirder.
A typical single span slab-on-stringer bridge site and its representative components.
Legend
1. 2. !. #. %. '. (. *. ,.
Deck and Overpass tringer "earing $edestal &ooting $iles )nderpass +mbankment -ive -oading
1. Dec
is
a flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to afloor. .t is the roadway, or the pedestrian walkway, surface of abridge.
1. !verpass
abridge,road,
railwayor similar structure that crosses over another road or railway.
". Stringer
alongitudinal
bridge girderfor supportingpart ofadeckor railroadtrack between bents orpiers.
#. Bearing
a component of a bridge which typically connects thebridge piers to thebridge deck.
is
$. %edestal
A
short column on an abutment or pier which directly supports a superstructure primary member.
&. 'ooting
A concretesupport under afoundation that rests in solid ground and is wider than the structuresupported.
(. %iles
a
long column of timber, concrete, or steel that is driven into the ground to provide a foundation for a vertical load.
). *nderpass
A
passage underneath something, especially a section of road that passes under another road.
+. ,mban ment
A
long artificial mound of stone or earth/ built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection.
-. Live Loading
A
moving, variable weight added to the dead load or intrinsic weight of a structure or vehicle.
Superstructure
0he
part of a building or other structure above the foundation.
.earing sur/ace
0he
wearing surface 1course2 is that portion of the deck cross section which resists traffic wear. .t is the top layer of a road that carries the traffic.
Dec
0he
deck is the physical e3tension of the roadway across the obstruction to be bridged.
%rimary 0ember
$rimary
members distribute loads longitudinally and are usually designed principally to resist fle3ure and shear. "eam type primary members such as this are also called stringers or girders.
Secondary 0embers
econdary members are bracing between primary members designed to resist cross4sectional deformation of the superstructure frame and help distribute part of the vertical load between stringers.
Substructure
0he
substructure consists of all elements re5uired to support the superstructure and overpass roadway.
Abutments
Abutments
are earth4retaining structures which support the superstructure and overpass roadway at the beginning and end of a bridge.
%iers
$iers
are structures which support the superstructure at intermediate points between the end supports 1abutments2.
Bearings
"earings
are mechanical systems which transmit the vertical and hori6ontal loads of the superstructure to the substructure, and accommodate movements between the superstructure and the substructure.
%edestal
A
pedestal is a short column on an abutment or pier under a bearing which directly supports a superstructure primary member.
Bac wall
A
backwall, sometimes called the stem, is the primary component of the abutment acting as a retaining structure at each approach.
.ingwall
A
wingwall is a side wall to the abutment backwall or stem designed to assist in confining earth behind the abutment.
'ooting
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, like the one in previous figure is known as a pile cap.
%iles
7hen
the soil under a footing cannot provide ade5uate support for the substructure 1in terms of bearing capacity, overall stability, or settlement2, support is obtained through the use of piles, which e3tend down from the footing to a stronger soil layer or to bedrock.
Sheeting
.n
cofferdams or shallow e3cavation, the vertical planks which are driven into the ground to act as temporary retaining walls permitting e3cavation are known as sheeting.
Appurtenances
is
any part of the bridge or bridge site which is not a ma8or structural component yet serves some purpose in the overall functionality of the structure 1e.g., guardrail2.
,mban ment
A
long artificial mound of stone or earth/ built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection.
*nderdrain
is
a drainage system made of perforated pipe or other suitable conduit that transports runoff away from the structure and into appropriate drainage channels 1either natural or man4made2.
Approach
0he
section of overpass roadway which leads up to and away from the bridge abutments is called the approach or approach roadway.
1ra//ic Barriers
a protective device 9used to shield motorists from obstacles or slope located along either side of roadway:. On bridges, they are usually called bridge railings.
is
0iscellaneous 1erms
2ertical
clearance is the minimum distance between the structure and the underpass. AA ;0O specifies an absolute minimum of 1# ft 1#.2( m2 and a design clearance of 1' ft 1#.** m2.
Load
3ating is an analysis of a structure to compute the ma3imum allowable loads that can be carried across a bridge.
Dead
Load is a permanent loads placed on a structure before the concrete slab hardens.
Superimposed
dead loads are permanent loads placed on the structure after the concrete has hardened 1e.g., bridge railing, sidewalks, wearing surface, etc.2. Superimposed dead loads are generally considered part of total dead loads.
Live
Loads are temporary loads placed on the structure, such as vehicles, wind, pedestrians, etc.
Sheeted
%it is a temporary bo3 structure with only four sides which can be used as an earth support system in e3cavation for substructure foundations.
<onstruction
that occurs in phases, usually to permit the flow of traffic through a construction site, is called staged construction. An e3ample would be a bridge replacement pro8ect where half of the structure is removed and replaced while traffic continues over the remaining portion of the structure.
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