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STRUCTURES
BRIDGES
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abutments | Supports at the end of an arch bridge that carry the load and keep the ends from spreading out. |
| Spandrels | Vertical supports of an arch bridge used to distribute the weight of the roadway to the arch below. |
| Anchorages | Securing devices that are embedded in the solid rock or massive concrete blocks that spread cables over a large area to evenly distribute the load and prevent the cables from breaking free. |
| Span | The distance between two bridge supports. |
| Compression | A force that acts to compress or shorten the thing it is acting on. |
| Tension | A force that acts to expand or lengthen the thing is acting on. |
| Buckling | What happens when the force of compression overcomes an objects ability to handle compression. |
| Snapping | What happens when tension overcomes an objects ability to handle tension. |
| Dissipate | To spread force over a greater area so that no one spot has the bear the brunt of the concentrated force. |
| Transfer | To move force from an area of weakness to an area of strength. |
| Truss | Supporting lattice work added to create very tall beams that add rigidity to an existing beam greatly increasing its ability to. dissipate the compression and tension. |
| Torsion | A rotational or twisting force. |
| Deck-Stiffening Trusses | A supporting truss system beneath the bridge deck. |
| Resonance | A fatal force to a bridge that is a vibration caused by an extended force that is harmony with the natural vibration the original thing. Resonance vibrations travel through a bridge in waves. |
| Dampeners | A technique used to interrupt the resonant waves. |