Construction+Features+of+Bridges

Construction Features of Bridges 

The job of a Civil Engineer is to construct bridges that provide a safe and efficient way to maneuver above and around difficult objects. To do this Civil Engineers use several different kinds of construction features including; lamination, columns, corrugation and the truss. Civil Egineers must use different features in different scenarios, because they must use the feature that best suits the need. __ The Truss: __ One design feature that Civil Engineers use to support a bridge is the truss. A truss is a supporting structure composed of beams, girders, or rods commonly made of steel or wood to form a series of triangles lying in a single plane. The reason that trusses are so often used in bridges is because they tend to be lightweight, strong, and durable. Trusses are used to take the weight of the load on the bridge and distribute it evenly amongst the pier .

Photos of Trusses:

__The Column__: Another important, commonly used, design feature is a column. A column is defined as a rigid, structural element, vertically strong in compression, usually made of very few pieces. The column is used to vertically support the load of a bridge by using compression. Civil Engineers use columns because they are long lasting design features that are structurally safe and and can support the load of the bridge with the use of compression. Photos of Columns:

__ Lamination: __ One specific design feature that many Civil Engineers use to better support a load is lamination. One reason that lamination is so beneficial is because it is built in layers. Another reason is that each layer goes in a different direction maximizing the use of the feature.



By using the lamination method the weight is distributed a lot better and much more evenly. Lamination is effective because when the load makes contact with the bridge the force meets in the middle of the beams and not at the bottom.

  Corrugation: Many Civil Engineers, depending on the need, will use the corrugation design feature. Corrugation in Civil Engineering is described as the act of shaping into parallel ridges and grooves or a ridge on a corrugated surface. By using corrugated surfaces the bridge can support its load better. Corrugated bridges have little grooves and ridges that run across the surface. By using corrugation in bridges, the load will be applied to the tops of several little arches, making it stronger. It is stronger because the load will be carried horizontally and vertically.