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Bridge Vocabulary
Vocabulary Review for Bridge Parts and Forces
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Tension | force that pulls something apart |
Compression | force that pushes or squeezes something together |
Shear | force that tries to make one part of a structure slide past another |
Torsion | force that causes an object to twist on its axis |
Arch Bridge | Curve shape supports the load. Keystone helps to hold structure in place. Compression is the main force acting on this bridge. |
Beam Bridge | simple design. easy to build. not expensive to construct. used for short spans. |
Suspension Bridge | decking hangs from cables. The cables are hung from towers and anchored to abutments. used for longer distances. Cables are in tension, towers are in compression. |
Truss Bridge | Made of short straight members joined together to form triangles. Top in compression bottom in tension. |
Live Load | The weight of movable objects such as people, machines or vehicles using a bridge |
Dead Load | Weight of the bridge itself (nuts, beams, bolts) |
Span | length of bridge between abutments (or distance between supports) |
Abutments | supports at the end of an arch bridge that carry the load and keep the ends from spreading out |
Buckling | Yielding, collapsing When the force of compression over takes the bridges ability to remain stable |
Dissapate | To spread force over a greater area so that no one spot on the bridge has to bear the brunt of the concentrated force |
Form | The design or shape of an object (usually intended to be attractive to the consumer) |
Function | To be in working order during use |
Aesthetics | Study of beauty- Pleasing to the eye |
Pier | Vertical support such as a pillar or column that help support beam bridges |
Caisson | Underwater watertight chamber that allows a support tower for suspension bridges to be embedded into the floor of a body of water |
Keystone | The center stone at the tope of an arch bridge, locking the whole bridge together |
Constraints | Restriction or limitations placed on potential solutions to a problem (the No-No List) |
Criteria | Required specifications (items, elements or features) of a product or assignment (like a check list) |