Beam Bridge Research Paper

A beam bridge or known as a girder bridge, is a bridge structure that consists of horizontal beams spanning supported by pillar at each end of the deck. The weight of the beam including the structure itself, plus any load it carries are supported by the downward force into the pillars. The beam bridge works on the principles of compression and tension, where on top of the bridge bends, it undergoes compression and at the bottom it is subjected to a horizontal tension. Therefore, the bridge must be designed to resist buckling and bending of the weight of itself and the loads it carries. Most beam bridges are made from concrete and steel beam because of their properties to withstand the forces of compression and tension. The size of the beam, initially the height is directly related to the distance the beam can span. Increasing the height of the beam can relate to more tension to dissipate along the material. Beam bridges are limited to span as they are suited to short span distance rather than long distance, however beam can span to longer distance by a pillar in the middle of the beam. (Lamb & Morrissesy 2015). …show more content…
They consist of groups of triangular units to form a truss, acting primarily in tension and compression with the bridge. Truss bridges are one of the oldest bridge design since the Industrial Revolution. Trusses are rigid in structure with a high strength to weight ratio and possess the ability to transfer the load from a single point to a much wider area. Truss bridges can be made from wood, iron and steel or combination of those materials. There are numerous types of truss bridges associated by how the structural members are connected. The four most common trusses are Warren Truss, Pratt Truss, Howe Truss and the K Truss (Stonecypher