CLASSIFICATION AND

CRITERIA FOR BRIDGES

CEBRDG430-E41
 Classification and criteria of bridges:
 According to form of bridges or type of super structures.
 According to material of construction of superstructures.
 According to inter-span relationship
 According to the length of the bridge
 According to function
 According to material
 According to alignment
 According to Bridge flooring
 According to HFL or Highest Flood Level
 According to navigation facility
 According to loading
 According to
Form of bridges
or
type of super structure
 Form of bridges:
 Slab bridge
 Beam bridge
 Truss bridge
 Arch bridge
 Cable stayed or suspended bridge
 Slab Bridge
 Slab bridges are monolithic, flat concrete beams (slabs) with twisted or roughened reinforcing
steel rods concentrated in the lower portion and at either end of the slab, where tensile forces
and sheer are the greatest. The amount of steel and depth of the slab are based on its length and
live-load capacity.
 When the span of the bridge is around 3m to 6m Slab bridge is used Also known “Culvert”
national road in Paku, Bontoc in Agas-agas bridge in Sogod,
Southern Leyte Southern Leyte 
 beam bridge
The main structural element of a beam bridge is a horizontal beam that is supported at each end.
They can be simply supported when the beams only connect across a single span, or continuous
when the beams are connected across two or more spans.
 girder bridge
 Girder bridges are the simplest bridge type in structure and consist of steel beams shaped to an
I-section or box section, called a plate girder bridge or a box girder bridge, respectively.
 Girder bridges are comprised of deck slabs, on which vehicles and people pass, and of main
girders supporting the deck slabs.
 When the span of a bridge is more, flooring is supported on RCC steel girder.
 Arch bridge
 Arch bridges are one amongst the oldest sorts of bridges and have nice natural strength. They
were originally designed of stone or brick however currently are designed of ferroconcrete or
steel.
 Tied arch bridges (or bowstring arches) also have an arch-shaped superstructure but their arch is above
the level of the bridge and it holds it from above.
 Arch bridges
 In such type of bridge the weight of flooring is transferred to the piers through the arch. The
floor beam is suspended through hangers from arch
 Cable stayed or suspended bridge
 Suspension bridges hold weight of the bridge with cables. In ancient times these bridges were
made from ropes or vines. Today we use steel. Sub-types include the simple suspension bridge,
the stressed ribbon bridge, the under spanned suspension bridge, the suspended-deck
suspension bridge, and the self-anchored suspension bridge.
 It consist of sets of cables hanging in a curve from which the roadway is supported where as
flooring loads are transferred to the suspenders and cables to the piers
 Cable stayed or suspended bridge
 A suspension bridge carries vertical loads through curved cables in tension. These loads are
transferred both to the towers, which carry them by vertical compression to the ground, and to
the anchorages, which must resist the inward and sometimes vertical pull of the cables.
 Cable-stayed bridges are similar to suspension bridges and also use cables but their form is
different, they have fewer cables and towers that hold cables are much higher.
According to material of construction of
superstructures.
 Material based
 Timber bridge
 Concrete bridge (Reinforced Cement Concrete)
 Stone bridge
 Steel bridge
 Composite bridge
 Prestressed concrete bridge

Timber Bridge
or wooden bridge is a bridge that uses
timber or wood as its principal structural
material. One of the first forms of bridge,
those of timber have been used since
ancient times.
Material based
Concrete Bridge
bridges that are typically made out of
concrete usually reinforced. Most
commonly used material in building
bridges.
Stone Bridge
formed by large flat slabs of granite or
schist supported on stone or resting on the
banks of streams.

Steel Bridge
- is a bridge in which the main material is steel.
Steel bridge members are easy to fabricate and
are widely used in bridge construction due to the
high tensile strength of steel materials. Steel has
tensile and compressive strength, and the ability
to bend without cracking or breaking. Moreover,
steel bridges do not undergo dry shrinkage or
creep as loads are applied over time.
Material based
Composite Bridge Prestressed bridge
means that the steel structure of a bridge is fixed Composed of a prestressed concreted also it is
to the concrete structure of the deck so that the The controlled generation of permanent forces
steel and concrete act together, so reducing and deformations in a structural concrete
deflections and increasing strength. This is done member to counteract the stresses arising from
using 'shear connectors' fixed to the steel beams dead and live load.
and then embedded in the concrete. Shear
connectors can be welded on, perhaps using a
'stud welder', or better still on export work, by
fixing nuts and bolts.
 According to
Inter-span relationship
 Inter-span relationship
 Simply supported Bridge - is the most basic type of bridge and the easiest for an engineer to
analyze and design. It forms a stand-alone, single span, with its beams or trusses commonly
supported with one fixed end and one movable end. They are single span structures with the
beam ends bearing on abutments.
 Cantilever Bridge - is built using cantilevers, structural elements that are supported on only one
end and that, from there, project horizontally into space. They are usually made from a pair of
continuous spans that extend from opposite sides. Cantilever bridge is constructed similarly to
beam bridges but forces work differently. A simple cantilever span is formed by two cantilever
arms extending from opposite sides of an obstacle to be crossed, meeting at the center.
 Continuous Bridge - A fixed bridge supported at three or more points and capable of resisting
bending and shearing forces at all sections throughout its length. Continuous span bridges cross
from one side to the other with one structural beam truss, or arch.
 Inter-span relationship
Simply supported Bridge
is the most basic type of bridge and the
easiest for an engineer to analyze and
design. It forms a stand-alone, single span,
with its beams or trusses commonly
supported with one fixed end and one
movable end. They are single span
structures with the beam ends bearing on
abutments.
Cantilever Bridge Continuous Bridge
is built using cantilevers, structural elements that - A fixed bridge supported at three or more
are supported on only one end and that, from points and capable of resisting bending and
there, project horizontally into space. They are shearing forces at all sections throughout
usually made from a pair of continuous spans
its length. Continuous span bridges cross
that extend from opposite sides. Cantilever
bridge is constructed similarly to beam bridges from one side to the other with one
but forces work differently. A simple cantilever structural beam truss, or arch.
span is formed by two cantilever arms extending
from opposite sides of an obstacle to be crossed,
meeting at the center.
 Inter-span relationship
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Balanced cantilever bridge

A balanced cantilever bridge consists of
spans simply supported over cantilever
According to length of bridge
 According to length of bridge
 Culvert Bridges - A small bridge having total length of 6 m or less between the faces of
abutments.
 Minor Bridges - is a bridge having a total length of from 6 m to 60 m
 Major Bridges - is a bridge having a total length of above 60 m
 Long span Bridges – more than 120 m
According to function
 According to function
Aqueduct bridge
are bridges constructed to convey
watercourses across gaps such as valleys or
ravines. The term aqueduct may also be
used to refer to the entire watercourse, as
well as the bridge. Large navigable
aqueducts are used as transport links for
boats or ships. Aqueducts must span a
crossing at the same level as the
watercourses on each end.
Viaduct bridge
A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that
consists of a series of arches, piers or
columns supporting a long elevated
railway or road. Typically a viaduct
connects two points of roughly equal
elevation, allowing direct overpass across a
wide valley, road, river, or other low-lying
terrain features and obstacles.
Pedestrian Bridge
also known as a footbridge, provides a safe
mode of passage for cyclists and walkers,
and often enriches the area. A successful
design must be a safe mode of transit for
pedestrians that doesn't interfere with other
traffic on roads or waterways. They are built
over roads that require people to take longer,
often inaccessible routes up and over many
lanes of car traffic, without impeding the
speed or movement of vehicular traffic.
 function

Grade Separator Highway Bridge Railway Bridge

When two roads crosses each other and It is constructed on a roadway for the Bridges Constructed for Railways
there is considerable differences in their movement of vehicles.
formation level, a bridge structure is
Difference between grade separator is that
constructed known as Grade Separator
A Grade Separator is when two or more
highways intersects, one line is let to go
over the other, to avoid traffic intercepts
 function
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Pipe Bridge
Used to support pipeline for water, gas. Oil. etc
is a bridge for running a pipeline over a river
or another obstacle. Pipeline bridges for liquids
and gases are, as a rule, only built when it is
not possible to run the pipeline on a
conventional bridge or under the river.
However, as it is more common to run
pipelines for centralized heating systems
overhead, for this application even small
pipeline bridges are common.
According alignment
 alignment
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Straight alignment Skew bridge

When the alignment of bridge is When the alignment of a bridge is not
perpendicular to the center line of the river perpendicular to the center line of river
According location of bridge
flooring
 According to location of bridge flooring

Deck bridge Through Bridge Semi-Through Bridge

When the bridge flooring is provided at the When the bridge flooring is provided at the When the flooring is located at some
top of the super structure, bottom of the super structure intermediate level in the super structure
According to hfl/ highest flood
level
 According to hfl/ highest flood level
 Highest flood level is the level of the highest calculated level for the design discharge. This
HLB is proposed to reduce the severe problems of increasing traffic & to increase the transport
system 
 Submersible bridges
 Non-submersible bridges
According to navigation facility
 According to navigation facility

Swing bridge Bascule bridge Traverser bridge

In case of swing bridge a central pier is
provided with suitable bearing or rollers.
The super structure consists of a pair of
steel trusses and it can be rotated in a
horizontal plan about vertical axis
In case of Bascule Bridges the entire It is so arranged that the whole bridge can
structure is rotated in a vertical plane about fully or partially be rolled forward or
a horizontal axis or upward backward across the openings
 According to navigation facility
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Lift bridge Transporter bridge

A bridge type that the truss is lifted up A moving cage is suspended from an
overhead truss with the help of cable or
wire ropes
According to loading
 According to loading bridges
 Class AA bridge This loading bridge is to be adopted with in certain municipal limits, in certain
existing or contemplated industrial areas, in other specified areas, and along certain specified
high-ways
 Class A bridge - this type of loading bridge is used in the design of all permanent bridges. It is
considered as standard live load of bridge.
 Class B bridges - This type of loading bridge is used to design temporary bridges like Timber
Bridge etc. It is considered light loading
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