Bridge+Use+and+Application

=//Bridge use and Application //= =- Bridge: a structure that provides an easy way of getting over a difficult obstacle or object.= = Applications: =
 * ====Bridges are often used for trains, pedestrian and road traffic, or even a pipeline or a waterway for transport.====
 * There are many types of bridges such as: Beam bridges, Arch bridges, Suspension bridges, Cantilever bridges, and a Pontoon bridges. Each bridge is used for different things and built in different areas due to their surroundings.
 * Road-rail bridges help to carry road and rail traffic also known as trains and their tracks.
 * People who travel with vehicles while carrying heavy loads use the bridge as a benefit to themselves.
 * Bridges work by balancing compression and tension to create a stable passage over a difficult object.

Climate Conditions:
This video is a prime example of why the placement and weather conditions of an area are important to the success and longevity of a bridge: [|Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapsed!]
 * A bridge can collapse if the structure can't withstand the strong gusts of wind.
 * Intense sun can make the beam on a beam bridge expand, throwing the entire structure out of whack.
 * If an earthquake occurs, a bridge may not be able to handle the rattling and shaking, which can cause it to collapse.
 * When a bridge is built on soil, you have to make sure the soil is evenly spread out because it can sink into one end.
 * A bridge can experience thermal load. Thermal load is when a structure expands or shrinks with the temperature.

Geographic Conditions: Span and Topography:

 * Topography is Detailed, precise description of a place or region. or Graphic representation of the surface features of a place or region on a map, indicating their relative positions and elevations.
 * Bridges are built in places like a high-narrow canyon, a wide marshy bay, or even an earthquake prone area.
 * Bridges are built pretty much anywhere there is a difficult object that people need to cross over.
 * Suspension Bridges are most often located over large bodies of water or major water sources running through the land.
 * Suspension bridges are light, strong, and can span from 2,000 to 7,000 feet. That is far longer than any other kind of bridge.
 * Suspension bridges are ideal for covering busy waterways because of how far they are able to span.
 * Beam bridges span no more than 250 feet mostly because the farther apart the pillars, the weaker the beam becomes.
 * Beam bridges cover smaller bodies of water. For example beam bridges are mostly found across streams, creeks or small rivers.
 * Sometimes the failure of bridges isn't the mechanics mistake, it's the inaccurate data collected of the topography of the land around it.
 * Ariel view images taken by satellite GPS's of the bridges is an unreliable source than can lead to the bridge's collapse.

This bridge in Fort Bragg, N.C. is the first plastic bridge to bear the weight of an army tank. = = = Material Use: =
 * Wood was one of the original materials used to make bridges because it's strong when you pull it in the direction of the fibers.
 * Some strengths about wood are- It's cheap, lightweight, moderately strong in compression and tension.
 * Some weaknesses about wood are- It rots, swells, and burns easily
 * Plastic is used to make bridges because the long chains of molecules that make up plastic can be pulled and pushed in many directions without snapping.
 * Some strengths about plastic are- It's flexible, lightweight, long-lasting, strong in compression and tension. Some weaknesses about plastic are- It's expensive.


 * Aluminum is used to make bridges because when it is combined with metals like magnesium and copper, it is almost as strong as steel.
 * Some pros about aluminum are- It is lightweight, doesn't rust, strong in compression and tension. Some weaknesses about aluminum are- It's expensive.
 * Bricks, concrete, and iron are used to help create and support bridges.
 * Some strengths about brick use is: It is cheap and strong in compression. Some weaknesses are that it is heavy, and weak in tension.
 * Some strengths of concrete use is: Concrete is cheap, fireproof and waterproof, molds to any shape, and strong in compression. Some weaknesses of concrete are cracks with temperature changes, weak in tension.
 * The strengths of iron is that it molds to any shape and is strong in compression. Some weaknesses of iron are that it is weaker than steel in tension and breaks without warning.
 * Steel is used to make bridges because it is stronger in compression and tension than any other material.
 * Some strengths- One of the most strongest materials used in construction, strong in compression and tesion.
 * Weaknesses of steel- rusts, loses strength in extremely high temperatures.

Work Cited