Bridge | History, Design, Types, Parts, & Facts | Britannica

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Beam

Beam bridge
Beam bridgeA diagram of a beam bridge, with forces of tension represented by red lines and forces of compression by green lines.(more)

The beam bridge is the most common bridge form. A beam carries vertical loads by bending. As the beam bridge bends, it undergoes horizontal compression on the top. At the same time, the bottom of the beam is subjected to horizontal tension. The supports carry the loads from the beam by compression vertically to the foundations.

Key People: Renzo Piano Robert Moses Isambard Kingdom Brunel Philibert Delorme Bartolommeo Ammannati (Show more) Related Topics: dynamic wind load dead load composite construction overpass span (Show more) See all related content

When a bridge is made up of beams spanning between only two supports, it is called a simply supported beam bridge. If two or more beams are joined rigidly together over supports, the bridge becomes continuous.

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