A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss , a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension , compression , or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. There are several types of truss bridges, including some with simple designs that were among the first bridges designed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A truss bridge is economical to construct primarily because it uses materials efficiently.
92-697: The South Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge (originally the South Omaha Bridge but renamed the Veterans Memorial Bridge in 1995) was a continuous warren through truss bridge over the Missouri River connecting Omaha, Nebraska with Council Bluffs, Iowa via U.S. Highway 275 . Omaha floated a $ 2 million bond issue for the bridge in 1931. However, when the bonds did not sell, the Omaha Bridge Commission
184-470: A Parker truss or Pratt truss than a true arch . In the Brown truss all vertical elements are under tension, with exception of the end posts. This type of truss is particularly suited for timber structures that use iron rods as tension members. See Lenticular truss below. This combines an arch with a truss to form a structure both strong and rigid. Most trusses have the lower chord under tension and
276-467: A corrosion -inhibiting grease , usually lithium based. Anchorages at each end of the tendon transfer the tensioning force to the concrete, and are required to reliably perform this role for the life of the structure. Unbonded post-tensioning can take the form of: For individual strand tendons, no additional tendon ducting is used and no post-stressing grouting operation is required, unlike for bonded post-tensioning. Permanent corrosion protection of
368-677: A covered bridge to protect the structure. In 1820, a simple form of truss, Town's lattice truss , was patented, and had the advantage of requiring neither high labor skills nor much metal. Few iron truss bridges were built in the United States before 1850. Truss bridges became a common type of bridge built from the 1870s through the 1930s. Examples of these bridges still remain across the US, but their numbers are dropping rapidly as they are demolished and replaced with new structures. As metal slowly started to replace timber, wrought iron bridges in
460-400: A 4-foot-wide raised median (1.2 m) with 10-foot-wide shoulders (3.0 m) and a 10-foot-wide bike trail (3.0 m). The new bridge is 4,300 feet (1,300 m) long and 87 feet 8 inches (26.72 m) wide. Truss bridge The nature of a truss allows the analysis of its structure using a few assumptions and the application of Newton's laws of motion according to
552-506: A 5-ton vehicle limit on the bridge. On June 11, 2008, an additional height restriction requiring vehicles to be under 8 feet (2.4 m) was imposed. On September 8, 2009, at 9 am CDT , the bridge closed so that the new bridge's construction could continue. The original bridge was completely demolished by March 2010 and removed from the NRHP in 2011. The new bridge opened May 28, 2010. It provides for four 12-foot-wide thru lanes (3.7 m) and
644-550: A Parker truss vary from near vertical in the center of the span to diagonal near each end, similar to a Warren truss. George H. Pegram , while the chief engineer of Edge Moor Iron Company in Wilmington, Delaware , patented this truss design in 1885. The Pegram truss consists of a Parker type design with the vertical posts leaning towards the center at an angle between 60 and 75°. The variable post angle and constant chord length allowed steel in existing bridges to be recycled into
736-422: A balance between the costs of raw materials, off-site fabrication, component transportation, on-site erection, the availability of machinery, and the cost of labor. In other cases, the appearance of the structure may take on greater importance and so influence the design decisions beyond mere matters of economics. Modern materials such as prestressed concrete and fabrication methods, such as automated welding , and
828-508: A broad range of structural, aesthetic and economic requirements. Significant among these include: a minimum number of (intrusive) supporting walls or columns; low structural thickness (depth), allowing space for services, or for additional floors in high-rise construction; fast construction cycles, especially for multi-storey buildings; and a low cost-per-unit-area, to maximise the building owner's return on investment. The prestressing of concrete allows "load-balancing" forces to be introduced into
920-594: A continuous truss functions as a single rigid structure over multiple supports. This means that the live load on one span is partially supported by the other spans, and consequently it is possible to use less material in the truss. Continuous truss bridges were not very common before the mid-20th century because they are statically indeterminate , which makes them difficult to design without the use of computers . A multi-span truss bridge may also be constructed using cantilever spans, which are supported at only one end rather than both ends like other types of trusses. Unlike
1012-523: A continuous truss, a cantilever truss does not need to be connected rigidly, or indeed at all, at the center. Many cantilever bridges, like the Quebec Bridge shown below, have two cantilever spans supporting a simple truss in the center. The bridge would remain standing if the simple truss section were removed. Bridges are the most widely known examples of truss use. There are many types, some of them dating back hundreds of years. Below are some of
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#17327824864721104-435: A conventional truss into place or by building it in place using a "traveling support". In another method of construction, one outboard half of each balanced truss is built upon temporary falsework. When the outboard halves are completed and anchored the inboard halves may then be constructed and the center section completed as described above. The Fink truss was designed by Albert Fink of Germany in 1854. This type of bridge
1196-605: A lack of durability, and gave way to the Pratt truss design, which was stronger. Again, the bridge companies marketed their designs, with the Wrought Iron Bridge Company in the lead. As the 1880s and 1890s progressed, steel began to replace wrought iron as the preferred material. Other truss designs were used during this time, including the camel-back. By the 1910s, many states developed standard plan truss bridges, including steel Warren pony truss bridges. In
1288-477: A lower chord (functioning as a suspension cable) that curves down and then up to meet at the same end points. Where the arches extend above and below the roadbed, it is called a lenticular pony truss bridge . The Pauli truss bridge is a specific variant of the lenticular truss, but the terms are not interchangeable. One type of lenticular truss consists of arcuate upper compression chords and lower eyebar chain tension links. Brunel 's Royal Albert Bridge over
1380-477: A modest tension force, it breaks easily if bent. A model spaghetti bridge thus demonstrates the use of a truss structure to produce a usefully strong complete structure from individually weak elements. In the United States , because wood was in abundance, early truss bridges would typically use carefully fitted timbers for members taking compression and iron rods for tension members , usually constructed as
1472-726: A new span using the Pegram truss design. This design also facilitated reassembly and permitted a bridge to be adjusted to fit different span lengths. There are twelve known remaining Pegram span bridges in the United States with seven in Idaho , two in Kansas , and one each in California , Washington , and Utah . The Pennsylvania (Petit) truss is a variation on the Pratt truss . The Pratt truss includes braced diagonal members in all panels;
1564-653: A prestressed concrete member, the internal stresses are introduced in a planned manner so that the stresses resulting from the imposed loads are counteracted to the desired degree. Prestressed concrete is used in a wide range of building and civil structures where its improved performance can allow for longer spans , reduced structural thicknesses, and material savings compared with simple reinforced concrete . Typical applications include high-rise buildings , residential concrete slabs , foundation systems , bridge and dam structures, silos and tanks , industrial pavements and nuclear containment structures . First used in
1656-609: A proof-loaded, redundant and monitorable pressure-containment system. Nuclear reactor and containment vessels will commonly employ separate sets of post-tensioned tendons curved horizontally or vertically to completely envelop the reactor core. Blast containment walls, such as for liquid natural gas (LNG) tanks, will normally utilize layers of horizontally-curved hoop tendons for containment in combination with vertically looped tendons for axial wall pre-stressing. Heavily loaded concrete ground-slabs and pavements can be sensitive to cracking and subsequent traffic-driven deterioration. As
1748-419: A protective sleeve or duct which is either cast into the concrete structure or placed adjacent to it. At each end of a tendon is an anchorage assembly firmly fixed to the surrounding concrete. Once the concrete has been cast and set, the tendons are tensioned ("stressed") by pulling the tendon ends through the anchorages while pressing against the concrete. The large forces required to tension the tendons result in
1840-626: A railway bridge constructed 1946 in the UK . By the 1960s, prestressed concrete largely superseded reinforced concrete bridges in the UK, with box girders being the dominant form. In short-span bridges of around 10 to 40 metres (30 to 130 ft), prestressing is commonly employed in the form of precast pre-tensioned girders or planks. Medium-length structures of around 40 to 200 metres (150 to 650 ft), typically use precast-segmental, in-situ balanced-cantilever and incrementally-launched designs . For
1932-508: A result, prestressed concrete is regularly used in such structures as its pre-compression provides the concrete with the ability to resist the crack-inducing tensile stresses generated by in-service loading. This crack-resistance also allows individual slab sections to be constructed in larger pours than for conventionally reinforced concrete, resulting in wider joint spacings, reduced jointing costs and less long-term joint maintenance issues. Initial works have also been successfully conducted on
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#17327824864722024-532: A significant permanent compression being applied to the concrete once the tendon is "locked-off" at the anchorage. The method of locking the tendon-ends to the anchorage is dependent upon the tendon composition, with the most common systems being "button-head" anchoring (for wire tendons), split-wedge anchoring (for strand tendons), and threaded anchoring (for bar tendons). Tendon encapsulation systems are constructed from plastic or galvanised steel materials, and are classified into two main types: those where
2116-503: A single tendon duct, with the exception of bars which are mostly used unbundled. This bundling makes for more efficient tendon installation and grouting processes, since each complete tendon requires only one set of end-anchorages and one grouting operation. Ducting is fabricated from a durable and corrosion-resistant material such as plastic (e.g., polyethylene ) or galvanised steel, and can be either round or rectangular/oval in cross-section. The tendon sizes used are highly dependent upon
2208-445: A strike; before the collapse, similar incidents had been common and had necessitated frequent repairs. Truss bridges consisting of more than one span may be either a continuous truss or a series of simple trusses. In the simple truss design, each span is supported only at the ends and is fully independent of any adjacent spans. Each span must fully support the weight of any vehicles traveling over it (the live load ). In contrast,
2300-545: A variant of the lenticular truss, "with the top chord carefully shaped so that it has a constant force along the entire length of the truss." It is named after Friedrich Augustus von Pauli [ de ] , whose 1857 railway bridge (the Großhesseloher Brücke [ de ] ) spanned the Isar near Munich . ( See also Grosshesselohe Isartal station .) The term Pauli truss is not interchangeable with
2392-700: Is a Pratt truss design with a polygonal upper chord. A "camelback" is a subset of the Parker type, where the upper chord consists of exactly five segments. An example of a Parker truss is the Traffic Bridge in Saskatoon , Canada. An example of a camelback truss is the Woolsey Bridge near Woolsey, Arkansas . Designed and patented in 1872 by Reuben Partridge , after local bridge designs proved ineffective against road traffic and heavy rains. It became
2484-400: Is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed ) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. It was patented by Eugène Freyssinet in 1928. This compression is produced by the tensioning of high-strength "tendons" located within or adjacent to the concrete and is done to improve
2576-592: Is a highly versatile construction material as a result of it being an almost ideal combination of its two main constituents: high-strength steel, pre-stretched to allow its full strength to be easily realised; and modern concrete, pre-compressed to minimise cracking under tensile forces. Its wide range of application is reflected in its incorporation into the major design codes covering most areas of structural and civil engineering, including buildings, bridges, dams, foundations, pavements, piles, stadiums, silos, and tanks. Building structures are typically required to satisfy
2668-519: Is a hybrid between a Warren truss and a double-intersection Pratt truss. Invented in 1863 by Simeon S. Post, it is occasionally referred to as a Post patent truss although he never received a patent for it. The Ponakin Bridge and the Bell Ford Bridge are two examples of this truss. A Pratt truss includes vertical members and diagonals that slope down towards the center, the opposite of
2760-418: Is fed into a greasing chamber and then passed to an extrusion unit where molten plastic forms a continuous outer coating. Finished strands can be cut-to-length and fitted with "dead-end" anchor assemblies as required for the project. Both bonded and unbonded post-tensioning technologies are widely used around the world, and the choice of system is often dictated by regional preferences, contractor experience, or
2852-423: Is most commonly used for the fabrication of structural beams , floor slabs , hollow-core slabs, balconies , lintels , driven piles , water tanks and concrete pipes . Post-tensioned concrete is a variant of prestressed concrete where the tendons are tensioned after the surrounding concrete structure has been cast. The tendons are not placed in direct contact with the concrete, but are encapsulated within
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2944-832: Is named after the K formed in each panel by the vertical member and two oblique members. Examples include the Südbrücke rail bridge over the River Rhine, Mainz, Germany, the bridge on I-895 (Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway) in Baltimore, Maryland, the Long–Allen Bridge in Morgan City, Louisiana (Morgan City Bridge) with three 600-foot-long spans, and the Wax Lake Outlet bridge in Calumet, Louisiana One of
3036-695: Is practical for use with spans up to 250 feet (76 m) and was a common configuration for railroad bridges as truss bridges moved from wood to metal. They are statically determinate bridges, which lend themselves well to long spans. They were common in the United States between 1844 and the early 20th century. Examples of Pratt truss bridges are the Governor's Bridge in Maryland ; the Hayden RR Bridge in Springfield, Oregon , built in 1882;
3128-525: Is the Victoria Bridge on Prince Street, Picton, New South Wales . Also constructed of ironbark, the bridge is still in use today for pedestrian and light traffic. The Bailey truss was designed by the British in 1940–1941 for military uses during World War II. A short selection of prefabricated modular components could be easily and speedily combined on land in various configurations to adapt to
3220-465: Is the most popular structural material for bridges, and prestressed concrete is frequently adopted. When investigated in the 1940s for use on heavy-duty bridges, the advantages of this type of bridge over more traditional designs was that it is quicker to install, more economical and longer-lasting with the bridge being less lively. One of the first bridges built in this way is the Adam Viaduct ,
3312-486: Is the protection afforded to the end-anchorage assemblies of unbonded tendons or cable-stay systems, as the anchorages of both of these are required to retain the prestressing forces. Failure of any of these components can result in the release of prestressing forces, or the physical rupture of stressing tendons. Modern prestressing systems deliver long-term durability by addressing the following areas: Several durability-related events are listed below: Prestressed concrete
3404-417: Is undertaken for three main purposes: to protect the tendons against corrosion ; to permanently "lock-in" the tendon pre-tension, thereby removing the long-term reliance upon the end-anchorage systems; and to improve certain structural behaviors of the final concrete structure. Bonded post-tensioning characteristically uses tendons each comprising bundles of elements (e.g., strands or wires) placed inside
3496-621: The Dearborn River High Bridge near Augusta, Montana, built in 1897; and the Fair Oaks Bridge in Fair Oaks, California , built 1907–09. The Scenic Bridge near Tarkio, Montana , is an example of a Pratt deck truss bridge, where the roadway is on top of the truss. The queenpost truss , sometimes called "queen post" or queenspost, is similar to a king post truss in that the outer supports are angled towards
3588-1316: The Fort Wayne Street Bridge in Goshen, Indiana , the Schell Bridge in Northfield, Massachusetts , the Inclined Plane Bridge in Johnstown, Pennsylvania , the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge in Easton, Pennsylvania , the Connecticut River Bridge in Brattleboro, Vermont , the Metropolis Bridge in Metropolis, Illinois , and the Healdsburg Memorial Bridge in Healdsburg, California . A Post truss
3680-495: The Howe truss . The interior diagonals are under tension under balanced loading and vertical elements under compression. If pure tension elements (such as eyebars ) are used in the diagonals, then crossing elements may be needed near the center to accept concentrated live loads as they traverse the span. It can be subdivided, creating Y- and K-shaped patterns. The Pratt truss was invented in 1844 by Thomas and Caleb Pratt. This truss
3772-481: The River Tamar between Devon and Cornwall uses a single tubular upper chord. As the horizontal tension and compression forces are balanced these horizontal forces are not transferred to the supporting pylons (as is the case with most arch types). This in turn enables the truss to be fabricated on the ground and then to be raised by jacking as supporting masonry pylons are constructed. This truss has been used in
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3864-412: The 1920s and 1930s, Pennsylvania and several states continued to build steel truss bridges, using massive steel through-truss bridges for long spans. Other states, such as Michigan , used standard plan concrete girder and beam bridges, and only a limited number of truss bridges were built. The truss may carry its roadbed on top, in the middle, or at the bottom of the truss. Bridges with the roadbed at
3956-685: The Pennsylvania truss adds to this design half-length struts or ties in the top, bottom, or both parts of the panels. It is named after the Pennsylvania Railroad , which pioneered this design. It was once used for hundreds of bridges in the United States, but fell out of favor in the 1930s and very few examples of this design remain. Examples of this truss type include the Lower Trenton Bridge in Trenton, New Jersey ,
4048-643: The South Omaha Bridge was built trucks had to cross the Douglas Street Bridge and drive through downtown Omaha to reach the packinghouse district. Although listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, the bridge was torn down so a new four-lane girder bridge could be constructed with a target opening date in 2010. The old bridge was 4,378 feet (1,334 m) long and provided a clear roadway width of only 22 feet 6 inches (6.86 m). In November 2006 Nebraska placed
4140-545: The US started being built on a large scale in the 1870s. Bowstring truss bridges were a common truss design during this time, with their arched top chords. Companies like the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio , and the King Bridge Company of Cleveland , became well-known, as they marketed their designs to cities and townships. The bowstring truss design fell out of favor due to
4232-405: The application, ranging from building works typically using between 2 and 6 strands per tendon, to specialized dam works using up to 91 strands per tendon. Fabrication of bonded tendons is generally undertaken on-site, commencing with the fitting of end-anchorages to formwork , placing the tendon ducting to the required curvature profiles, and reeving (or threading) the strands or wires through
4324-468: The availability of alternative systems. Either one is capable of delivering code-compliant, durable structures meeting the structural strength and serviceability requirements of the designer. The benefits that bonded post-tensioning can offer over unbonded systems are: The benefits that unbonded post-tensioning can offer over bonded systems are: Long-term durability is an essential requirement for prestressed concrete given its widespread use. Research on
4416-414: The branch of physics known as statics . For purposes of analysis, trusses are assumed to be pin jointed where the straight components meet, meaning that taken alone, every joint on the structure is functionally considered to be a flexible joint as opposed to a rigid joint with the strength to maintain its shape, and the resulting shape and strength of the structure are only maintained by the interlocking of
4508-477: The center of the structure. The primary difference is the horizontal extension at the center which relies on beam action to provide mechanical stability. This truss style is only suitable for relatively short spans. The Smith truss , patented by Robert W Smith on July 16, 1867, has mostly diagonal criss-crossed supports. Smith's company used many variations of this pattern in the wooden covered bridges it built. Prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete
4600-732: The center, the opposite of the Pratt truss . In contrast to the Pratt truss, the diagonal web members are in compression and the vertical web members are in tension. Few of these bridges remain standing. Examples include Jay Bridge in Jay, New York ; McConnell's Mill Covered Bridge in Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania ; Sandy Creek Covered Bridge in Jefferson County, Missouri ; and Westham Island Bridge in Delta, British Columbia , Canada. The K-truss
4692-402: The changing price of steel relative to that of labor have significantly influenced the design of modern bridges. A pure truss can be represented as a pin-jointed structure, one where the only forces on the truss members are tension or compression, not bending. This is used in the teaching of statics, by the building of model bridges from spaghetti . Spaghetti is brittle and although it can carry
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#17327824864724784-482: The components. This assumption means that members of the truss (chords, verticals, and diagonals) will act only in tension or compression. A more complex analysis is required where rigid joints impose significant bending loads upon the elements, as in a Vierendeel truss . In the bridge illustrated in the infobox at the top, vertical members are in tension, lower horizontal members in tension, shear , and bending, outer diagonal and top members are in compression, while
4876-414: The compression members and to control deflection. It is mainly used for rail bridges, showing off a simple and very strong design. In the Pratt truss the intersection of the verticals and the lower horizontal tension members are used to anchor the supports for the short-span girders under the tracks (among other things). With the Baltimore truss, there are almost twice as many points for this to happen because
4968-433: The concrete volume (internal prestressing) or wholly outside of it (external prestressing). While pre-tensioned concrete uses tendons directly bonded to the concrete, post-tensioned concrete can use either bonded or unbonded tendons. Pre-tensioned concrete is a variant of prestressed concrete where the tendons are tensioned prior to the concrete being cast. The concrete bonds to the tendons as it cures , following which
5060-404: The concrete wall to form a series of hoops, spaced vertically up the structure. When tensioned, these tendons exert both axial (compressive) and radial (inward) forces onto the structure, which can directly oppose the subsequent storage loadings. If the magnitude of the prestress is designed to always exceed the tensile stresses produced by the loadings, a permanent residual compression will exist in
5152-600: The construction of a stadium, with the upper chords of parallel trusses supporting a roof that may be rolled back. The Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , is another example of this type. An example of a lenticular pony truss bridge that uses regular spans of iron is the Turn-of-River Bridge designed and manufactured by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. The Pauli truss is
5244-979: The design and construction of prestressed concrete structures. In the United States, such organizations include the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI). Similar bodies include the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI), the UK's Post-Tensioning Association, the Post Tensioning Institute of Australia and the South African Post Tensioning Association. Europe has similar country-based associations and institutions. These organizations are not
5336-413: The ducting. Following concreting and tensioning, the ducts are pressure-grouted and the tendon stressing-ends sealed against corrosion . Unbonded post-tensioning differs from bonded post-tensioning by allowing the tendons permanent freedom of longitudinal movement relative to the concrete. This is most commonly achieved by encasing each individual tendon element within a plastic sheathing filled with
5428-426: The durability performance of in-service prestressed structures has been undertaken since the 1960s, and anti-corrosion technologies for tendon protection have been continually improved since the earliest systems were developed. The durability of prestressed concrete is principally determined by the level of corrosion protection provided to any high-strength steel elements within the prestressing tendons. Also critical
5520-484: The earliest examples is the Old Blenheim Bridge , which with a span of 210 feet (64 m) and a total length of 232 feet (71 m) long was the second-longest covered bridge in the United States, until its destruction from flooding in 2011. The Busching bridge, often erroneously used as an example of a Long truss, is an example of a Howe truss, as the verticals are metal rods. A Parker truss bridge
5612-399: The end-anchoring of the tendons is released, and the tendon tension forces are transferred to the concrete as compression by static friction . Pre-tensioning is a common prefabrication technique, where the resulting concrete element is manufactured off-site from the final structure location and transported to site once cured. It requires strong, stable end-anchorage points between which
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#17327824864725704-436: The forces in various ways has led to a large variety of truss bridge types. Some types may be more advantageous when the wood is employed for compression elements while other types may be easier to erect in particular site conditions, or when the balance between labor, machinery, and material costs has certain favorable proportions. The inclusion of the elements shown is largely an engineering decision based upon economics, being
5796-451: The form of post-tensioned anchors drilled into the dam's concrete structure and/or the underlying rock strata. Such anchors typically comprise tendons of high-tensile bundled steel strands or individual threaded bars. Tendons are grouted to the concrete or rock at their far (internal) end, and have a significant "de-bonded" free-length at their external end which allows the tendon to stretch during tensioning. Tendons may be full-length bonded to
5888-463: The inner diagonals are in tension. The central vertical member stabilizes the upper compression member, preventing it from buckling . If the top member is sufficiently stiff then this vertical element may be eliminated. If the lower chord (a horizontal member of a truss) is sufficiently resistant to bending and shear, the outer vertical elements may be eliminated, but with additional strength added to other members in compensation. The ability to distribute
5980-404: The late nineteenth century, prestressed concrete has developed beyond pre-tensioning to include post-tensioning , which occurs after the concrete is cast. Tensioning systems may be classed as either monostrand , where each tendon's strand or wire is stressed individually, or multi-strand , where all strands or wires in a tendon are stressed simultaneously. Tendons may be located either within
6072-432: The longest bridges, prestressed concrete deck structures often form an integral part of cable-stayed designs . Concrete dams have used prestressing to counter uplift and increase their overall stability since the mid-1930s. Prestressing is also frequently retro-fitted as part of dam remediation works, such as for structural strengthening, or when raising crest or spillway heights. Most commonly, dam prestressing takes
6164-515: The more common designs. The Allan truss , designed by Percy Allan , is partly based on the Howe truss . The first Allan truss was completed on 13 August 1894 over Glennies Creek at Camberwell, New South Wales and the last Allan truss bridge was built over Mill Creek near Wisemans Ferry in 1929. Completed in March 1895, the Tharwa Bridge located at Tharwa, Australian Capital Territory ,
6256-412: The needs at the site and allow rapid deployment of completed trusses. In the image, note the use of pairs of doubled trusses to adapt to the span and load requirements. In other applications the trusses may be stacked vertically, and doubled as necessary. The Baltimore truss is a subclass of the Pratt truss. A Baltimore truss has additional bracing in the lower section of the truss to prevent buckling in
6348-647: The performance of the concrete in service. Tendons may consist of single wires , multi-wire strands or threaded bars that are most commonly made from high-tensile steels , carbon fiber or aramid fiber . The essence of prestressed concrete is that once the initial compression has been applied, the resulting material has the characteristics of high-strength concrete when subject to any subsequent compression forces and of ductile high-strength steel when subject to tension forces . This can result in improved structural capacity and/or serviceability compared with conventionally reinforced concrete in many situations. In
6440-474: The roadbed but are not connected, a pony truss or half-through truss. Sometimes both the upper and lower chords support roadbeds, forming a double-decked truss . This can be used to separate rail from road traffic or to separate the two directions of road traffic. Since through truss bridges have supports located over the bridge deck, they are susceptible to being hit by overheight loads when used on highways. The I-5 Skagit River bridge collapsed after such
6532-574: The short verticals will also be used to anchor the supports. Thus the short-span girders can be made lighter because their span is shorter. A good example of the Baltimore truss is the Amtrak Old Saybrook – Old Lyme Bridge in Connecticut , United States. The Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge at Savage, Maryland , United States is the only surviving example of a revolutionary design in the history of American bridge engineering. The type
6624-451: The simplest truss styles to implement, the king post consists of two angled supports leaning into a common vertical support. This type of bridge uses a substantial number of lightweight elements, easing the task of construction. Truss elements are usually of wood, iron, or steel. A lenticular truss bridge includes a lens-shape truss, with trusses between an upper chord functioning as an arch that curves up and then down to end points, and
6716-454: The standard for covered bridges built in central Ohio in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Pegram truss is a hybrid between the Warren and Parker trusses where the upper chords are all of equal length and the lower chords are longer than the corresponding upper chord. Because of the difference in upper and lower chord length, each panel is not square. The members which would be vertical in
6808-553: The strands is provided by the combined layers of grease, plastic sheathing, and surrounding concrete. Where strands are bundled to form a single unbonded tendon, an enveloping duct of plastic or galvanised steel is used and its interior free-spaces grouted after stressing. In this way, additional corrosion protection is provided via the grease, plastic sheathing, grout, external sheathing, and surrounding concrete layers. Individually greased-and-sheathed tendons are usually fabricated off-site by an extrusion process. The bare steel strand
6900-579: The structure to counter in-service loadings. This provides many benefits to building structures: Some notable building structures constructed from prestressed concrete include: Sydney Opera House and World Tower , Sydney; St George Wharf Tower , London; CN Tower , Toronto; Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and International Commerce Centre , Hong Kong; Ocean Heights 2 , Dubai; Eureka Tower , Melbourne; Torre Espacio , Madrid; Guoco Tower (Tanjong Pagar Centre), Singapore; Zagreb International Airport , Croatia; and Capital Gate , Abu Dhabi UAE. Concrete
6992-475: The surface of the tendons is critical to the pre-tensioning process, as it determines when the tendon anchorages can be safely released. Higher bond strength in early-age concrete will speed production and allow more economical fabrication. To promote this, pre-tensioned tendons are usually composed of isolated single wires or strands, which provides a greater surface area for bonding than bundled-strand tendons. Unlike those of post-tensioned concrete (see below),
7084-432: The surrounding concrete or rock once tensioned, or (more commonly) have strands permanently encapsulated in corrosion-inhibiting grease over the free-length to permit long-term load monitoring and re-stressability. Circular storage structures such as silos and tanks can use prestressing forces to directly resist the outward pressures generated by stored liquids or bulk-solids. Horizontally curved tendons are installed within
7176-546: The tendon element is subsequently bonded to the surrounding concrete by internal grouting of the duct after stressing ( bonded post-tensioning); and those where the tendon element is permanently de bonded from the surrounding concrete, usually by means of a greased sheath over the tendon strands ( unbonded post-tensioning). Casting the tendon ducts/sleeves into the concrete before any tensioning occurs allows them to be readily "profiled" to any desired shape including incorporating vertical and/or horizontal curvature . When
7268-418: The tendons are stretched. These anchorages form the ends of a "casting bed" which may be many times the length of the concrete element being fabricated. This allows multiple elements to be constructed end-to-end in the one pre-tensioning operation, allowing significant productivity benefits and economies of scale to be realized. The amount of bond (or adhesion ) achievable between the freshly set concrete and
7360-406: The tendons are tensioned, this profiling results in reaction forces being imparted onto the hardened concrete, and these can be beneficially used to counter any loadings subsequently applied to the structure. In bonded post-tensioning, tendons are permanently bonded to the surrounding concrete by the in situ grouting of their encapsulating ducting (after tendon tensioning). This grouting
7452-662: The tendons of pre-tensioned concrete elements generally form straight lines between end-anchorages. Where "profiled" or "harped" tendons are required, one or more intermediate deviators are located between the ends of the tendon to hold the tendon to the desired non-linear alignment during tensioning. Such deviators usually act against substantial forces, and hence require a robust casting-bed foundation system. Straight tendons are typically used in "linear" precast concrete elements, such as shallow beams, hollow-core slabs ; whereas profiled tendons are more commonly found in deeper precast bridge beams and girders. Pre-tensioned concrete
7544-481: The term lenticular truss and, according to Thomas Boothby, the casual use of the term has clouded the literature. The Long truss was designed by Stephen H. Long in 1830. The design resembles a Howe truss , but is entirely made of wood instead of a combination of wood and metal. The longest surviving example is the Eldean Covered Bridge north of Troy, Ohio , spanning 224 feet (68 m). One of
7636-542: The top or the bottom are the most common as this allows both the top and bottom to be stiffened, forming a box truss . When the roadbed is atop the truss, it is a deck truss; an example of this was the I-35W Mississippi River bridge . When the truss members are both above and below the roadbed it is called a through truss; an example of this is the Pulaski Skyway , and where the sides extend above
7728-428: The upper chord under compression. In a cantilever truss the situation is reversed, at least over a portion of the span. The typical cantilever truss bridge is a "balanced cantilever", which enables the construction to proceed outward from a central vertical spar in each direction. Usually these are built in pairs until the outer sections may be anchored to footings. A central gap, if present, can then be filled by lifting
7820-677: The use of precast prestressed concrete for road pavements, where the speed and quality of the construction has been noted as being beneficial for this technique. Some notable civil structures constructed using prestressed concrete include: Gateway Bridge , Brisbane Australia; Incheon Bridge , South Korea; Roseires Dam , Sudan; Wanapum Dam , Washington, US; LNG tanks , South Hook, Wales; Cement silos , Brevik Norway; Autobahn A73 bridge , Itz Valley, Germany; Ostankino Tower , Moscow, Russia; CN Tower , Toronto, Canada; and Ringhals nuclear reactor , Videbergshamn Sweden. Worldwide, many professional organizations exist to promote best practices in
7912-491: The wall concrete, assisting in maintaining a watertight crack-free structure. Prestressed concrete has been established as a reliable construction material for high-pressure containment structures such as nuclear reactor vessels and containment buildings, and petrochemical tank blast-containment walls. Using pre-stressing to place such structures into an initial state of bi-axial or tri-axial compression increases their resistance to concrete cracking and leakage, while providing
8004-414: Was also easy to assemble. Wells Creek Bollman Bridge is the only other bridge designed by Wendel Bollman still in existence, but it is a Warren truss configuration. The bowstring truss bridge was patented in 1841 by Squire Whipple . While similar in appearance to a tied-arch bridge , a bowstring truss has diagonal load-bearing members: these diagonals result in a structure that more closely matches
8096-631: Was built by the Kansas City Bridge Company opening on January 18, 1936. It is 22.2 feet (6.8 m) wide and 2,126 feet (648 m) long. The piers were initially on dry land, since the river had not been rerouted. Tolls on the bridge were discontinued on September 25, 1947. The bridge provided a much-needed direct route across the Missouri River to the Omaha Stockyards for livestock delivery trucks. Before
8188-635: Was formed to secure financing from the Public Works Administration . The initial design by the Kansas City architects Ash, Howard, Needles and Tammen called for the bridge to have seven spans. However, when the War Department announced plans to reroute the river channel, the design was changed to two 525-foot (160 m), continuously supported, Warren through spans and a series of Warren deck truss approach spans. It
8280-405: Was named after its inventor, Wendel Bollman , a self-educated Baltimore engineer. It was the first successful all-metal bridge design (patented in 1852) to be adopted and consistently used on a railroad. The design employs wrought iron tension members and cast iron compression members. The use of multiple independent tension elements reduces the likelihood of catastrophic failure. The structure
8372-683: Was popular with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . The Appomattox High Bridge on the Norfolk and Western Railway included 21 Fink deck truss spans from 1869 until their replacement in 1886. There are also inverted Fink truss bridges such as the Moody Pedestrian Bridge in Austin, Texas. The Howe truss , patented in 1840 by Massachusetts millwright William Howe , includes vertical members and diagonals that slope up towards
8464-848: Was the second Allan truss bridge to be built, the oldest surviving bridge in the Australian Capital Territory and the oldest, longest continuously used Allan truss bridge. Completed in November 1895, the Hampden Bridge in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales , Australia, the first of the Allan truss bridges with overhead bracing, was originally designed as a steel bridge but was constructed with timber to reduce cost. In his design, Allan used Australian ironbark for its strength. A similar bridge also designed by Percy Allen
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