BRIDGES AND

THEIR CAPABILITY
ANTHONY ST.JULES
903-
GERRITSEN
HOW DO BRIDGES STAND THE
WEIGHT OF CARS AND TRUCKS ?
+ Materials you need- iron, wood, tools,
+ The GWB created in 1927 it spans 3,500 feet
+ Held up by 4 cables
+ Each cable wraps around the river 61 times to make sure the
poles around it are secure

HOW TO BUILD A MODEL?
+ STEP1- plan out how you want it to look
+ STEP2- draw a floor plan
+ STEP3- take measurements
+ STEP4- start building

Forces That Act On Bridges
There are two forces that act on most bridges
those forces are compression and tension.
Vocabulary
Compression is to press together or force into
less space
Tension is the act of stretching or straining
COMPRESSION EXAMPLE
This is an example of compression
As you can see in the picture when the
Two sides are coming together it makes
The compression greater.
TENSION EXAMPLE
This rubber band has tension on each side
because the guys finger stretch it out till it
looks like its going to pop.
NEWTONS LAWS THAT EFFECT THE
BRIDGES
1
ST
law- states that an object at rest will stay at rest unless the force
becomes unbalanced.
Example- If a truck that weights 2tons is stopped on a bridge the force of
tension will not effect the suspension cables. If the truck starts moving the
tension will be affect the compression because of the weight of the truck.
2
nd
law- states For every action there is an equal and opposite re-
action.
This means that for every time a truck that crosses over a bridge
thats overweight will cause the chance of it collapsing.
WHY DO BRIDGES
COLLAPSE ?
REASONS BRIDGES
COLLAPSE
Object that crosses it was overloaded
Trucks collide with the structure and
shake the parts up
Wind conditions
The Tacoma narrows bridge collapsed
because of defective material

WELL KNOWN BRIDGES
Great Belt Bridge Brooklyn Bridge
CONTINUED
Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge
CHESAPEAK BAY BRIDGE-
TUNNEL