How Bridges Respond to Loads Engineering Design Mrs. Hodgson
Static Load vs. Dynamic Load A Static Load is a load that is either constant or applied over a long period of time. All dead loads are static loads. A Dynamic Load is a load that is variable and applied over a short period of time Bridges (or structures in general) respond to static and dynamic loads very differently
Static Load vs. Dynamic Load
How Bridges Respond to Truck Loads When loads (live or dead, static or dynamic) are applied to bridges, the elements of the bridge (beams, cables, roadway) experience STRESS Stress is like pressure. It the amount of force applied on a given area The ability of a material to resist the applied force is the STRENGTH of the material
Basic Response There are four basic responses of bridge elements to load Tension/compression Shear Bending Torsion
Tension Tension stresses cause cracks to open
Compression Compression stresses cause cracks to close
Shear Shear stresses cause two points in the steel to slide past each other
Bending Causes tension and compression stresses in element compression
Torsion Results from twisting of bridge elements Causes a combination of tension/compression and shear stresses