Bridges October 2020

Bridges are immensely important for any nation. Agencies are aware that a structurally deficient bridge or one nearing the end of its design life could be closed to traffic at any time without notice, stalling business activity. Over the last few years, they've made it a priority to fund bridge maintenance and rehabilitation projects to ensure that this doesn't happen. Bridge construction typically involves methods using relatively discrete elements, like piles and girders, which are assembled piece by piece. Over the past 50 years,
however, construction methods have evolved to reduce traffic impact, facilitate building in congested areas, reduce overall construction schedules, and improve the long-term service life of structures.

The basic principles of bridge design are now changing which are dependent on the load-bearing structure; whether flat, convex or concave. All bridges need to be secure at the foundations and abutments. In the case of a typical overpass beam bridge with one support in the middle, construction begins with the casting of concrete footings for the pier and abutments. In this edition of the eMag-Lounge, we have covered topics such as Different types of materials used in Bridge Construction, Steel Bridge Structure - Advantages, Elements and Components, Cable-Stayed Bridge - Advantages, Types and Design and Steel- Concrete Composite Bridge.