Golden Gate Bridge Slide #2

Structural System and Materials

The suspended structure is held up by two large steel towers in
compression and a two main galvanized carbon steel cables
spanning between them in tension
Connected to main cables are 250 pairs of steel suspender cables
50 feet apart with a diameter of 2-11/16 inches
The main cables have a length of 7,650 feet and a diameter of 363/8 inches
The main and suspender cables have a combined weight of
24,500 tons
There are 389,000 cubic yards of concrete and 83,000 tons of
structural steel used in the structure

Loads acting on the bridge

Structurally, this bridge consists of two large
towers, with the south tower having a foundation
located 110 feet below sea level. Both towers
have a weight of 44,000 tons and carry a load of
approximately 61,500 tons from the cables.
The dead load of the bridge including the anchors
and approaches is 887,000 tons
The dead load excluding the anchorage and
approaches is 419,000 tons
This is a better estimate of the dead loads as
it includes the suspended structure, main
towers, piers, fenders, bottom lateral
system, and orthopedic redecking
The live load capacity is 4,000 pounds per lineal

Environemntal Concerns
The bridge must be earthquake resistant as it lays 7 miles east of
the San Andreas Fault and 10 miles west of the Hayward Fault
Initially, the bridge was built to withstand lateral forces of 7.5% of
self weight
Currently, the bridge is being retrofit so that is will be able to
withstand lateral forces ranging from 68% to 220% of self weight
The retrofit project is currently in the second phase and the Phase
II won the 2007 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement
(OCEA) award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)