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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 support. |
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. |
Bucking | What happens when tension overcomes an object's 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 burnt of the concentrated force. |
Tranfer | To move force from an area of weakness to an area of stenght |
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 rotatioal 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 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. |