Introduction to Bridge

Engineering
Prepared by:
Niraj Bohara
Based on TU syllabus
Transportation Engineering II
Definition
• A bridge is a structure providing passage over an obstacle without
closing the way beneath.
• The required passage may be for a road, a railway, pedestrians, a
canal or a pipeline.
• The obstacle to be crossed may be a river, a road, railway or a valley.
• As per the definition provided by Nepal Bridge Standards 2067,
“ A structure that spans over body of water, a valley, or a road and affords
passage for pedestrians, or vehicles of all kinds, or any combination
thereof.”

• Whereas, NRS 2070 has described bridge as a cross drainage

structures with length greater than 6m
Characteristics of an Ideal Bridge
• Shouldn’t obstruct stream and provide adequate waterway width
• Should be able to carry standard loading with reasonable factor of safety
• The line of bridge should not have serious deviation from the line of
approach road
• It should be in level
• Width of bridge should be sufficient to cater future traffic
• Passage for services like water pipes, telephone lines etc
• Economical in terms of construction and maintenance
• Should be of sufficient height (to avoid from flood damage)
Selection of Bridge Site
• A straight reach of the river.
• Steady river flow without cross currents
• A narrow channel with firm banks
• Suitable high banks above high flood level on each side.
• Rock or other hard in-erodible strata close to the river bed level.
• Economical approaches
• There should be no sharp curves in the approaches
• Avoidance of excessive underwater construction.
Classification of Bridges
• Classification as per use (function) – Bridge has certain uses as per the
utility they carry over the obstructions which could be water,
pedestrians, railway, traffic or pipeline
• Aqueduct Bridge – may connect canal over river or roads
• Viaduct – These are long bridges connected to each other crossing
long valleys or river
• Pedestrian bridge
• Road/railway bridge
• Pipeline bridges
Magdeburg Water Bridge over river Elbe in Germany Hewenden Viaduct, Cullingworth, West Yorks in
England
Classification of Bridges
• Classification as per construction material- were made from timber,
stone and masonry.
• Modern bridges are made from concrete, steel, fiber reinforced
polymers(FRP), stainless steels
• Timber bridge
• Steel bridge
• RCC bridge
• Pre-stressed concrete bridge
• Composite bridge
 • When we want to achieve
tensile strength of the steel
and compressive strength
of the concrete, composite
structures are used in the
bridge structure

Composite bridge
Classification of Bridges
• Classification as per type of superstructure – The structural elements
lying above bearing are called as superstructure. As based on the type
of superstructure, bridges are classified as:
• Slab bridge – It consists of slab supported between two abutments or
abutments and piers or piers and piers. Whole load is taken to the
abutment through slab
• Beam bridge – In the beam bridge, slab is supported by beam
spanning between supports, where shear force and flexural stress are
first carried by beam and ultimately to the support. Most of the
modern bridges are beam bridge.
Classification of Bridges
• Classification as per type of superstructure contd.
• Truss bridge – Triangular structural elements connected together to
work on compression and tension to take the load acted on its joint
are truss. The bridge with superstructure consisting of truss are truss
bridges
• Arch bridges – The bridge with superstructure of arch type where the
load is transferred ultimately to the two end support (abutment)
• Suspension bridge – The bridge deck is suspended through a cable.
These cables hangs from a tower and connects to a support at each
end.
Classification of Bridges
• Classification as per type of superstructure contd.
• Cantilever bridges – certain portions of continuous span of bridges are
produced as cantilever. These bridges are cantilever bridges.
• Cable stayed bridges – Quiet similar to suspended bridge where
towers are higher and the cables from them supports the bridge.
Cold Spring Arch Bridge, Santa Barbara, CA

Zakim Bridge, Boston, MA

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Bridge of Quebec , Canada (has collapsed before)
Classification of bridge
• According to position of bridge floor relative to the superstructure
• Deck bridge - The carriageway rests on the top of the main load
carrying members.
• Through bridge – The carriageway rests on the bottom of the main
load carrying members. Here, bracing at top members is required
• Semi-through bridge - The deck lies in between the top and the
bottom of the main load carrying members.
Classification of bridges
• Classification as per loading
• Major Bridge – where IRC class AA or any other equivalent loading or
class 70 R loading is provided
• Medium or minor bridge: where IRC class A or any other equivalent
loading is provided
• Temporary bridge - where IRC class B loading is applied (specially for
timber bridge)
• Class A load is usually applied for all the bridges where overstressing
can occur in this condition too
Class AA load
Classification of bridge
• According to the road level relative to the HFL
• High level bridges
• Submersible bridges

• According to the span length “As per Nepal Bridge Standards, 2067”
• Culvert (up to 6m length)
• Minor L<= 50m (with span<=25m)
• Major bridges (span length greater than 25m or length >50m)
• Special bridge: bridges that require special design consideration
Components of Bridges
• Broadly,
• Substructure: (foundation, abutments, piers, bearings)
• Super-structure: (Parapet, roadway, girders, arches, deck slab and
trusses)
• Protection work (Abutment protection work, pier protection work,
bank protection work)
• Substructure
• Abutment – the end supports of the bridge lying over the foundation
are abutment.
• Piers – the supports to the bridge deck or girder which acts as an
intermediate support. This part of substructure usually lies in the
water
• Bearings – these are provided in between superstructure and
substructure to provide free movement and transferring loads.
Bearing

Loads are developed, and movement is accommodated by distorting the elastomeric pad.

Sliding bearings usually consist of a low friction polymer, polytetrafluoroethylene

(PTFE), sliding against a metal plate.

Large longitudinal movements can be accommodated by these bearings, but vertical

loads only can generally be resisted – Multiple roller bearing
• Superstructure
• Main girder – It runs longitudinally along the axis of bridge which
transfers load from cross girder ultimately to the substructure
• Cross-girder – It runs transversely below the slab which is provided at
certain interval. It’s main function is to transfer the load from slab to
the main girder. It’s thickness is less than the main girder
• Slab – It’s the structural element of the bridge which directly supports
the moving load over it. The function of it is to support the moving
loads and is designed for design load.
River Training Works/ Bank Protection
Works
• The river bank protection works is essential in bridge site because of
following reasons
• Possible obstruction created by the abutments and piers to the flow of the river
• The change in the direction of flow over time
• To protect the foundation of the bridge against possible erosion and under
cutting
• Possible flooding in the reason of the bridge construction
• River training terms refers to structural measures to improve river flow
and river banks
• These are usually provided in both u/s and d/s of the river
1. Embankment
• They are dam like earthen structure run parallel to the direction of river flow
in order to protect the village or city from possible inundation, change of the
course of the river flow or erosion of land
• They are constructed in the natural banks and run longitudinally to a very
long distance.
• These structure are very important in low laying lands “Tarai parts of the
river”
• The fill material for the construction of the embankment are usually the
material found at local level
• The face of the embankment has to be protected through riprap
works
• The flood load shouldn’t overstress the soil of the embankment. To
ensure safety against these loads, embankment has to be sufficiently
wide so as the stress wouldn’t exceed shear strength of the soil.

Embankment work at Rapti river

2. Guide banks or bunds:
• They are usually made for guiding the stream near bridge and
confining river in a defined channel (reasonable waterway) to ensure
safe and expeditious passage (Varshney et al)
• It’s functions are:
• Confine the flow to single channel
• Improve the distribution of flow through the channel width
• Protects the bridge against possible floods by directing the flow
• Smooth transportation of water is facilitated
Koshi Bridge ,
Source: maps.google.com
3. Groynes or Spurs
• These structures are oriented transversely to the flow of the river
• They are provided in series, 2 to 5 structures
• The main aim of the construction of the spurs is to deflect the river to
the more desirable course thus protecting the bank and narrowing
the river flow
• Creates zone of slack flow where silting takes place and thus making it
a new bank
• They run to some distance into the river section (however not to the
full width of the river)
4. Pitching of banks
• The river side earthen embankment has to be protected against
possible scouring during the flow. This is done by pitching works
either by boulders or concrete pitching or natural grass cover.
• The design involves for the thickness of the pitching which depends
upon the discharge
5. Launching Apron
• Scouring due to change in the river morphology is common around
hydraulic structure. To protect the structure from deep corrosive
action, bed erosion, a flexible stone cover is placed in the bed level of
the structure. This is called as launching apron
• On scouring of base, the launching apron launches thus preventing
from further erosion and protecting the structure above it.
6. Cut-offs
• This is provided to improve the flow path of the river channel. In this
method, a pilot channel is artificially introduced to divert the river
from meandering flow pattern to more straight and desirable flow.
• when protection work for a valuable land and property is to be
performed.
7. Gabion Structures
• These are rock filled in a twisted wire
• They have higher flexibility and can withstand higher movements
induced due to higher loads
• They are generally used in a form of gabion basket generally of
cuboidal nature in Nepal
• Their surface roughness allow them to decrease the flow velocity