GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Rosu Marius-Alexandru
UTCB-FILS-SE year II
 INTRODUCTION
The Golden Gate Bridge is a
suspension bridge spanning the Golden
Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km)
strait connecting San Francisco Bay
and the Pacific Ocean. The structure
links the U.S. city of San Francisco,
California—the northern tip of the San
Francisco Peninsula—to Marin County,
carrying both U.S. Route 101 and
California State Route 1 across the
strait. It also carries pedestrian and
bicycle traffic and is designated as
part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95. Being
declared one of the Wonders of the
Modern World by the American
Society of Civil Engineers, the bridge
is one of the most internationally
recognized symbols of San Francisco
and California. It was initially
designed by engineer Joseph Strauss
in 1917.
The Frommer's travel guide describes
the Golden Gate Bridge as "possibly
the most beautiful, certainly the most
photographed, bridge in the world."
At the time of its opening in 1937, it
was both the longest and the tallest
suspension bridge in the world, with a
main span of 1,280 m and a total
height of 227 m.
 SUSPENSION BRIDGE
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge
in which the deck is hung below
suspension cables on vertical suspenders.
The first modern examples of this type of
bridge were built in the early 1800s.
Simple suspension bridges, which lack
vertical suspenders, have a long history
in many mountainous parts of the world.
The Golden Gate Bridge has cables
suspended between towers, with vertical
suspender cables that transfer the live
and dead loads of the deck below, upon
which traffic crosses. This arrangement
allows the deck to be level or to arc
upward for additional clearance.
Typically, this type of bridge is
constructed without a falsework.
The suspension cables must be anchored
at each end of the bridge, since any
load applied to the bridge is
transformed into a tension in these main
cables. The main cables continue beyond
the pillars to deck-level supports, and
further continue to connections with
anchors in the ground. The roadway is
supported by vertical suspender cables
or rods, called hangers.
 ADVANTAGES

• A suspension bridge can be made out of simple materials such as wood and common wire rope.
• Longer main spans are achievable than with any other type of bridge.
• Less material may be required than other bridge types, even at spans they can achieve, leading to a
reduced construction cost.
• Except for installation of the initial temporary cables, little or no access from below is required during
construction and so a waterway can remain open while the bridge is built above.
• They may be better able to withstand earthquake movements than heavier and more rigid bridges.
• Bridge decks can have deck sections replaced in order to widen traffic lanes for larger vehicles or add
additional width for separated cycling/pedestrian paths.
 DISADVANTAGES

• Considerable stiffness or aerodynamic profiling may be required to prevent the bridge deck vibrating
under high winds.
• The relatively low deck stiffness compared to other (non-suspension) types of bridges makes it more difficult
to carry heavy rail traffic in which high concentrated live loads occur.
• Some access below may be required during construction to lift the initial cables or to lift deck units. That
access can often be avoided in cable-stayed bridge construction.
 HISTORY
Before the bridge was built, the only
practical short route between San Francisco
and what is now Marin County was by boat
across a section of San Francisco Bay. A
ferry service began as early as 1820, with
a regularly scheduled service beginning in
the 1840s for the purpose of transporting
water to San Francisco.

Many wanted to build a bridge to connect

San Francisco to Marin County. San Francisco
was the largest American city still served
primarily by ferry boats. Because it did not
have a permanent link with communities
around the bay, the city's growth rate was
below the national average. Many experts
said that a bridge could not be built across
the 2,000-metre strait, which had strong,
swirling tides and currents, with water 113
m deep at the center of the channel, and
frequent strong winds. Experts said that
ferocious winds and blinding fogs would
prevent construction and operation.
 CONCEPT FOR THE BRIDGE
• In 1916, more than four decades after railroad entrepreneur Charles Crocker’s call for a bridge across the Golden Gate Strait in 1872, James H. Wilkins, a structural
engineer and newspaper editor for the San Francisco Call Bulletin, captured the attention of San Francisco City Engineer Michael M. O’Shaughnessy.
• In August 1919, City officials formally requested that O'Shaughnessy explore the possibility of building a bridge that crossed the Golden Gate Strait. O’Shaughnessy
began to consult a number of engineers across the United States about feasibility and cost of building a bridge across the strait. Most speculated that a bridge would cost
over $100 million and that one could not be built. But it was Joseph Baermann Strauss that came forward and said such a bridge was not only feasible, but could be built
for $25 to $30 million.
• On June 28, 1921, Strauss submitted his preliminary sketches to O’Shaughnessy and Edward Rainey, Secretary to the Mayor of San Francisco, the Honorable James Rolph.
The cost estimate for his original design, a symmetrical cantilever-suspension hybrid span was $17 million.
• It took O’Shaughnessy a year and one-half to release the cantilever-suspension hybrid bridge design to the public. During this time, Strauss went about promoting the idea
of a bridge, using his original design, in communities throughout northern California. Strauss dedicated himself to convincing civic leaders that the span was not only
feasible but it could be paid with toll revenues alone. His energies paid off, as once his design was made public by O’Shaughnessy in December 1922, the public voiced
little opposition, even though it was described as “ugly” by the local press.
 CONCEPT FOR THE BRIDGE
• Local authorities agreed to proceed only on the assurance that Strauss would alter the design and accept input from several consulting project experts.
A suspension-bridge design was considered the most practical, because of recent advances in metallurgy.
• The bridge faced opposition, including litigation, from many sources. The Department of War was concerned that the bridge would interfere with ship
traffic. The US Navy feared that a ship collision or sabotage to the bridge could block the entrance to one of its main harbors. Unions demanded
guarantees that local workers would be favored for construction jobs. Southern Pacific Railroad, one of the most powerful business interests in
California, opposed the bridge as competition to its ferry fleet and filed a lawsuit against the project, leading to a mass boycott of the ferry service.
• An ally was the fledgling automobile industry, which supported the development of roads and bridges to increase demand for automobiles.
 BRIDGE DESIGN
• Joseph Baermann Strauss was the chief engineer in charge of the overall design and construction of the bridge project. In 1921, Joseph B. Strauss hired Charles A. Ellis to head up
his staff and soon advanced him to Vice President, Strauss Engineering Corporation, in charge of bridge design and construction supervision. In 1925, Strauss had Ellis arrange for
Prof. George F. Swain of Harvard University and Leon Moisseiff who designed New York’s Manhattan Bridge to serve on a Board of Consultants for the project.
• Both men reviewed Strauss’s original plans for a symmetrical cantilever-suspension hybrid bridge and found them to be practical from an engineering standpoint and capable of
being built. In November 1925, Moisseiff expressed concern about the hybrid design and submitted to Strauss his Report on Comparative Design of a Stiffened Suspension Bridge
over the Golden Gate Strait at San Francisco, CA, which describes a design contrasting from the cantilever-suspension hybrid bridge design—a suspension span design.
• The suspension span concept did not immediately become the leading design for the bridge as Strauss continued to campaign for a bridge using his original symmetrical cantilever-
suspension hybrid design as late as 1929.
• On August 15, 1929, the Board appointed prominent engineers Moisseiff, O.H. Ammann, and University of California, Engineering School, Berkeley, CA, Professor Charles Derleth,
Jr., to serve as the Advisory Board of Engineers, alongside Chief Engineer Strauss.
• The timing of the change from the original Strauss proposal to a suspension bridge design is not precisely known, but it was accomplished sometime between the release of
Moisseiff’s November 1925 report and the first meeting of the Advisory Board of Engineers on August 27, 1929. Further, The Golden Gate Bridge, Report of the Chief Engineer,
September 1937, by Strauss, provides no details on the transition from his originally proposed symmetrical cantilever-suspension hybrid bridge to the Moisseiff-inspired suspension
span design that was eventually built, and simply states, “... In the interval which had elapsed any advantages possessed by the cantilever-suspension type bridge had practically
disappeared and on recommendation of the Chief Engineer, the cantilever-suspension type was abandoned in favor of the simple suspension type.”
• On March 1, 1930, with final design underway and after overseeing test borings at the construction site, Ellis returned to Chicago to work on refining the design and estimates, while
continuing to consult with Advisory Board of Engineers members Moisseiff and Ammann.
• Ellis was responsible for directing the thousands of calculations required, for the computation of stresses, the preparation of stress sheets, as well as the development of the
specifications, contracts and proposal forms. He worked tirelessly until December 5, 1931, when Strauss insisted he take a vacation. Three days before his vacation was over, Ellis
received a letter from Strauss instructing him to turn all his work over to his assistant Clarahan, and to take an indefinite unpaid vacation.
• For reasons still not clear today, Strauss fired Ellis. Ellis had lost his place in the history receiving no credit for his critical role in the design of the landmark Bridge. He went on to join
the engineering faculty at Purdue University in 1934, from where he retired as Professor Emeritus of the Division of Structural Engineering in 1947.
CONSTRUCTION
1933-1937
• December 22, 1932: Extending from Fort Baker pier, the construction of a 500 m long access road began to access the construction sites for the Marin anchorage, pier and tower.
• January 5, 1933: Construction officially started.
• January 1933 to February 1936: Marin and San Francisco anchorages and associated pylons.
• January 1933 to May 1935: San Francisco anchorage.
• January 1933 to June 1933: Marin pier.
• January 1933 to June 1935: Marin anchorage.
• February 1933: Work began on the east approach road from San Francisco that extended through the Presidio to the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.
• March 1933: Steel for the San Francisco and Marin towers that was prefabricated in Bethlehem steel foundries in Pottstown and Steelton, PA was brought by flatcar to Philadelphia
and transferred to barges and shipped through the Panama Canal to Alameda, CA where it was stored until the Marin pier was completed and ready for tower erection.
• March 1933 to March 1934: San Francisco tower access trestle was constructed extending 335 m offshore. Just as the trestle was completed, it was significantly damaged for the first
time on August 14, 1933, when the McCormick Steamship Line’s Sidney M. Hauptman plowed through the thick fog and crashed into the access trestle, damaging about 120 m. After
repairs were made, on December 13, 1933, as a southwest gale battered the Golden Gate Strait for two days, the access trestle was again battered and this time there was 240 m
of wreckage. Trestle repairs began shortly thereafter and completed March 8, 1934.
• November 7, 1933: Marin tower construction started. Depending on the source referenced, it was completed either on June 28, 1934 or sometime in November 1934.
• October 24, 1934: San Francisco fender wall completed.
• November 27, 1934: San Francisco pier area within the fender wall was un-watered.
• January 3, 1935: San Francisco pier reached its final height of 13 m above the water.
• January 1935 to June 28, 1935: San Francisco tower construction.
• August 2, 1935 to September 27, 1935: Harbor Tug and Barge Company strung the first wire cables to support the footwalks (aka catwalks) constructed across the
Golden Gate Strait in preparation for main cable spinning.
• October 1935 to May 1936: Main cable spinning and compression.
• April 1936: Start of the Sausalito lateral approach road which was constructed as a W.P.A. project.
• July 1936 to December 14, 1936: Suspended structure.
• July 21, 1936: Start of San Francisco approach viaduct structures and Fort Point arch construction.
• November 18, 1936: Two sections of the Bridge's main span were joined in the middle. A brief ceremony marked the occasion when groups from San Francisco and
Marin met and exchanged remarks at the center of the span.
• January 19, 1937 to April 19, 1937: Roadway completed.
BUILDING A BRIDGE
IN THE OCEAN
The south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge
was built over a hundred’s meters into open
ocean. To build the tower, workers would
have to erect a pier more than 335 m mouth
in the middle of the Gate - the first bridge
support ever constructed in the open ocean.
Divers guided beams, panels, blasting tubes
and 40-ton steel forms into position and
secured them, striving to avoid being swept
away.

VIDEO: https://www.pbs.org/video/american-
experience-building-bridge-ocean/
THE TOWERS OF GOLDEN
GATE BRIDGE
The first 227 m tower began to rise in
Nov. 1933. Prefabricated sections were
fit into place and then joined together by
four-man rivet gangs. The heater was the
boss; he brought rivets to the right
temperature on a small forge, then tossed
them to catchers with metal cans.

VIDEO: https://www.pbs.org/video/american -
experience-towers-golden-gate-bridge/
STATISTICS & DATA
 LENGTH, WIDTH, HEIGHT, WEIGHT
• Total length of Bridge including approaches from abutment to abutment is 2,737 m.

• Total length of Bridge including approaches from abutment to abutment, plus the distance to the Toll Plaza, is 2,788 m.

• Length of suspension span including main span and side spans is 1,966 m.

• Length of main span portion of suspended structure (distance between towers) is 1,280 m. Until 1964, the Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension
bridge main span in the world.

• Length of one side span is 343 m.

• Width of Bridge is 27 m.

• Width of roadway between curbs is 19 m.

• Width of sidewalk is 3 m.

• Clearance above mean higher high water is 67 m.

• Total weight of each anchorage is 60,000 tons (54,400,000 kg).

• Original combined weight of Bridge, anchorages, and approaches is 894,500 tons (811,500,000 kg).

• Total weight of Bridge, anchorages, and approaches (1937) is 894,500 tons (811,500,000 kg).

• Total weight of Bridge, anchorages, and approaches (1986)* is 887,000 tons (804,700,00 kg*).

• Weight of Bridge, excluding anchorages and approaches, and including the suspended structure, main towers, piers and fenders, bottom lateral system and
orthotropic redecking (1986) is 419,800 tons (380,800,000 kg *).

* The total bridge weight listed for 1986 includes the reduction in weight due to the redecking in 1986. The weight of the original reinforced concrete deck and its
supporting stringers was 166,397 tons (150,952,000 kg). The weight of the new orthotropic steel plate deck, its two inches of epoxy asphalt surfacing, and its
supporting pedestals is now 154,093 tons (139,790,700 kg). This is a total reduction in weight of the deck of 12,300 tons (11,158,400 kg), or 1.37 tons (1133 kg)
per lineal foot of deck.
 BRIDGE DEFLECTION, LOAD CAPACITY

• At midspan, the maximum downward deflection (or the distance the Bridge was built to move downward) is 3.3 m. The maximum upward deflection is 1.8 m.

• The maximum transverse deflection, at center span is 8.4 m.

• Live load capacity per lineal foot is 4,000 lbs (1,814.4 kg).

• As an example of how the Bridge is built to move, during the winter storms in 1982, the main span bowed approximately 1.8 to 2.1 m.

• The three maximum deflections noted above at the center of the suspension bridge are due to the following loading conditions:

1. The transverse deflection is due to a sustained transverse wind load. The maximum transverse movement of 8.4 m is based on the maximum allowable longitudinal
movement of the wind locks at the support towers;

2. The maximum downward deflection is due to a condition with maximum live load on the center span, no live load on the side spans and maximum design temperature
to elongate the main cables;

3. The maximum upward deflection is due to a condition opposite to condition 2 above, with maximum live load on side spans, no live load on center span and minimum
design temperature to shorten the cable length.
 MAIN TOWER STATS

• The Golden Gate Bridge has two main towers that support the two main cables.

• The height of a tower above water is 227 m, were the world's tallest on a suspension bridge until 1993.

• The height of a tower above roadway is 152 m.

• Tower base dimension (each leg) is 10 m x 16 m.

• The load on each tower from main cables is 61,500 tons (56,000,000 kg).

• The weight of both main towers is 44,000 tons (40,200,000 kg).

• Transverse deflection of towers is 0.32 m.

• Longitudinal deflection of towers (shoreward) is 0.56 m and (channelward) is 0.46 m.

• The south tower foundation depth below mean low water is 34 m.

• To build south tower pier to support the south tower, construction workers pumped 35.6 million liters of water out of the fender that was constructed first.
 MAIN CABLE STATS

• The Golden Gate Bridge has two main cables which pass over the tops of the two towers and are secured at either end in giant anchorages. The galvanized carbon steel wire
comprising each main cable was laid by spinning the wire, using a loom-type shuttle that moved back and forth as it laid the wire in place to form the cables. The spinning of
the main cable wires was completed in 6 months and 9 days.

• The main cables rest on top of the 227 m main towers in huge steel castings called saddles.

• Diameter of one main cable including the exterior wrapping is 0.92 m.

• Length of one main cable is 2,332 m.

• Total length of galvanized steel wire used in both main cables is 129,000 km.

• Number of galvanized steel wires in one main cable that are 5 mm in diameter is 27,572.

• Number of bundles or strands of galvanized steel wire in one main cable is 61.

• Average number of galvanized steel wires in each of the 61 bundles is 452.

• Weight of both main cables, suspender cables, and accessories is 24,500 tons (22,200,000 kg).

• The Golden Gate Bridge has 250 pairs of vertical suspender ropes that are spaced 15 m apart across both sides of the Bridge.
Each suspender rope is 40 cm in diameter. All of the ropes were replaced between 1972 and 1976, with the last rope replacement completed on May 4, 1976.
 CONCRETE QUANTITIES

Concrete quantities (as built) Cubic meters

San Francisco Pier and Fender 99 400
Marin Pier 18 000
Anchorages, Pylons and Cable Housing 139 160
Approaches 21 800
Paving 19 115
Total 297 475
 STRUCTURAL STEEL QUANTITIES

Structural steel quantities (as built) Tons

Main Towers 44 400
Suspended Structure 24 000
Anchorages 4 400
Approaches 10 200
Total 83 000
 RETROFITTING

• On December 1, 1951, a windstorm revealed swaying and rolling instabilities of the bridge. In 1953 and 1954, the bridge was retrofitted with lateral and diagonal
bracing that connected the lower chords of the two side trusses. This bracing stiffened the bridge deck in torsion so that it would better resist the types of twisting that had
destroyed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940.

• The original bridge used a concrete deck. Salt carried by fog or mist reached the rebar, causing corrosion and concrete spalling. From 1982 to 1986, the original bridge
deck, in 747 sections, was systematically replaced with a 40% lighter, and stronger, steel orthotropic deck panels, over 401 nights without closing the roadway
completely to traffic. The roadway was also widened by two feet, resulting in outside curb lane width of 11 feet, instead of 10 feet for the inside lanes. This deck
replacement was the bridge's greatest engineering project since it was built and cost over $68 million.

• Although the Golden Gate Bridge suffered no observed damage from the 7.1 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake, in 1989, since the epicenter was located some 60
miles to the south, the earthquake became a catalyst for the extensive seismic retrofit program. In 1996, the three construction phases were established as follows:

Phase 1 (1997-2001): Retrofit the Marin (north) Approach Viaduct

Phase 2 (2001-2008): Retrofit the San Francisco (south) Approach Viaduct, San Francisco (south) Anchorage Housing, Fort Point Arch, and Pylons S1 and S2

Phase 3A and 3B (2008-2013): Retrofit the Main Suspension Bridge and Marin (north) Anchorage Housing
BRIDGE MAINTENANCE
The caretakers of the Golden Gate Bridge include engineers and architects who had a vision to create such an incredible landm ark, rugged individuals
who built this one-of-a kind masterpiece, and skilled crafts people and engineers who have cared for the Bridge since opening da y in 1937. This
revered and rugged group of workers battle wind, sea air and fog, often suspended high above the Golden Gate Strait, to repai r corroding steel.

Ironworkers replace corroding steel and rivets, make small fabrications for use on the Bridge, and assist painters with their rigging. Ir onworkers also
remove plates and bars to provide access for painters to the interiors of the columns and chords that make up the Bridge.

Painters prepare all Bridge surfaces and repaint corroded areas. Painting the Golden Gate Bridge is an ongoing task and the primary ma intenance
job. The paint protects the Bridge from the high salt content in the air which rusts and corrodes the steel components.

Operating engineers and mechanics ensure that all equipment and vehicles are in good repair.

Electricians maintain toll equipment and all electrical components of the Bridge and operate the fog horns.

Communications technicians ensure that radio communications are always operational.

The Streets and Grounds team keeps the surrounding areas of the Bridge in proper repair and attractive for the over 10 million visitors each year.

Laneworkers assist Roadway Service Operators by configuring yellow roadway cones for various lane configurations.

Roadway Service Technicians assist disabled vehicles on the Bridge and its approaches, respond to all vehicle accidents and vehicle fires, and
operate the Barrier Machine to ensure the Bridge is in the proper configuration for morning and afternoon commutes.

Service operators assist disabled vehicles on the Bridge and its approaches. Tow service trucks are on site 24 -hours a day, ready to respond to any
emergency.

The Bridge Captain oversees the activities of the toll office and roadway operations, coordinating an around -the-clock workforce to ensure the smoo th
flow of traffic. There have been 10 Bridge Captains since the Bridge opened in 1937.

Bridge Sergeants and Bridge Lieutenants respond to inquiries, accidents, and emergencies. In fact, to date, two babies have been born at the toll
plaza! A team of Bridge Patrol Officers, who also report to the Bridge captain, are responsible for Bridge security.
PRESENTATION TITLE 29
REFERENCES

h t t p s : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / G o l d e n _ G a t e _ B r i d ge

h t t p s : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / S u s p e n s i o n _ b r i d ge

h t t p s : / / w w w. g o l d e n ga t e. o r g / b r i d ge / b r i d ge - m a i n t e n a n c e /

h t t p s : / / w w w. g o l d e n ga t e. o r g / b r i d ge / h i s t o r y - r e s e a r c h / b r i d ge - c o n s t r u c t i o n / c o n c e p t - fo r- a - b r i d ge /

h t t p s : / / w w w. g o l d e n ga t e. o r g / b r i d ge / h i s t o r y - r e s e a r c h / b r i d ge - c o n s t r u c t i o n / b r i d ge - d e s i g n /

h t t p s : / / w w w. g o l d e n ga t e. o r g / b r i d ge / h i s t o r y - r e s e a r c h / s t a t i s t i c s - d a t a / d e s i g n - c o n s t r u c t i o n - s t a t s /

h t t p s : / / w w w. g o l d e n ga t e. o r g / d i s t r i c t / d i s t r i c t - p ro j e c t s / s e i s m i c - r e t ro f i t /

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC5C9a2udjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKU1PTyHtbM

PRESENTATION TITLE 30
THANK YOU