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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 it is acting on. |
Buckling | what happens when the force of compression overcome 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 to bear the brunt of the concentrated force. |
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 systems beneath the bridge deck. |
Resonance | a fatal force to a bridge that is vibration caused by an extended force that is in harmony with the natural vibration of the original thing . Resonance vibrations travel through a bridge in waves |
Dampeners | a technique used to interrupt the resonant waves. |