Bridge Terms
Hey everybody once again it’s me, First Timer. I thought the one thing that would make this website even better would be some vocabulary on the parts of bridges. Here are a few terms that might help if you ever need to describe different aspects of a truss or bridge:
Arch: A structure that is curved and carries weight in a vertical manner primarily by using x-axis compression.
Beam: Horizontal structures that hold a vertical weight while not bending. Girders are multiple beams placed together and are usually the foundation of a truss.
Bridge: A structure used in aiding humans and animals in transportation over gaps, rivers, etc.
Column: The part of a bridge that connects the footing to the bottom of the bridge’s deck.
Deck: The surface of a truss or bridge that people or things drive and walk across.
Fixed Arch: A structure that is permanently in a single area/position.
Footing: The part of a bridge that is under ground level.
Member: A part in a structure, most especially a truss.
Portal: The open ends on a Through Truss, a.k.a the entrance.
Span: The length in between the inner edges of two of the “legs” of a structure.
Strut: A member that is compressive.
Substructure: Bridge parts below deck.
Superstructure: Bridge parts deck and above.
Suspenders: Tension members on the cable from the main cable to the deck of a suspension bridge.
Tie: Tension member of a truss.
Tower: A large frame holding the cables of a suspension bridge.
Truss: A stronger form of a beam or girder made with a web of members.
I hope this helps you build and describe your bridges for your classmates, students, and/or professors. Happy building everybody! If there is any other term that you don’t understand, post a comment and I will attempt to define it for you.
What is a side diagonal?
Or an end post?
How about a hip vertical?
A top or bottom chord?
Bottom lateral bracing?
Thank you!
What exactly is the top chord?
Fidel, the top chord is the main beam along the top of the bridge.
whats a shear and torison