FACEX University Center

CIVIL ENGINEERING - 2017.1

BRIDGES – EXERCISE LIST

Professor: M. Sc. João Paulo de Barros Cavalcante.

Rafael Vinícius Madalena Mendes
Yuri Francisco Bezerra de Medeiros
Class: CIV9AM

Deadline for delivery: 03/13/2017

Question 01 – Define Bridges and what is their importance for human development?

They are structures designed to overcome natural obstacles such as bodies of water, deep valleys, bays or
man-made obstacles such as, for example, an urban center or a highway.

Question 02 - In comparison with usual buildings, explain the particular characteristics.

the reinforced concrete bridges.

One of the particular characteristics of bridges is the actions that are being requested on the structure, its
construction process, the structural composition and its analysis.

Question 03 – What are the three constituent parts of bridges and what are they made of?

Superstructure: Slab of trays, main beams and curtain crossbeams, teeth, consoles,
chamfers and others;

Mesostructure: Support apparatus, pillars, bracing beams for the pillars and others;

Infrastructure: Blocks, footings, piles, caissons, piling, and others.

Question 04 - What is the main function of the transition plates in a bridge?

It serves to monitor the settlement of the ground when it is very compressed.

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Question 05 - What is the main function of the meetings?

It serves to receive the thrust from the access embankments and prevent it from being transmitted to others.

pillars.

Question 06 - What are Dolphins used for?

They are sheet pile curtains, which serve to protect the pillars from shock.
vessels.

Question 07 - What are the elements that make up the superstructure of a bridge whose section
Is the transversal in the shape of a cellular coffin?

Upper slab, corbel or chamfer, lower slab, main beam, slab overhang, guard rail, guard-
body and pavement.

Question 08 - What are the elements that make up the superstructure of a bridge whose section
Is the transversal composed of main beams?

It is the part of the bridge intended to span the distance between two successive supports (span), receiving the

total loads applied to the superstructure.

Question 09 – What is the function of the intermediate transverses in beam bridges?

They are used for structural purposes, normally in bridges, in open section beams, they are arranged.
in the middle of the span to achieve better load distribution.

Question 10 - What are the main characteristics of slab bridges and what is the procedure?
Commonly used in the sense of reducing the self-weight of the slab of the structure?

Small construction height, good resistance to twisting, execution stiffness, also having good
aesthetics. They can be shaped on-site or pre-cast, the details of the shapes and the reinforcements and the
Concrete pouring is quite simple.
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Question 11 - How are bridges classified?

Bridges are classified by their traffic nature, according to the span length, the material.
employee, durability, the location where their planimetric development is inserted and
altimetric, type of structural system.

Question 12 - What are the main factors that influence the choice of the cross-section of
a bridge?

The factors that influence the choice are:

They will be defeated and the respective structural system;

Desired building height or slenderness ratio;

Construction process, available means, equipment, and other circumstantial factors;

Construction economy - slimmer structures require a higher consumption of steel than the.
less slender but has the advantage in relation to the total cost of the work;

Relation between mobile load/permanent load - high values of this relation imply a greater consumption
concrete when it comes to prestressed.

Question 13 - What is the best type of cross-section for bridges on curves?

Due to the great rigidity to torsions, cellular sections are indicated for curved bridges.

Question 14 - What are support devices?

They are binding elements that associate the structural pieces and allow for their movement.

Question 15 - What are the basic elements of a project?

Geometric project, hydrological studies, geotechnical studies, complementary studies and

loading/request.
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Question 16 - Describe in detail the construction processes of bridges.

First, the foundation is made in the ground, with the driving of a metal casing, excavation, introduced to
framework and concreting, at the points defined in projects after detailed soil study. Then
the foundation is made in water following the same procedures on land. Then the blocks are placed
crowning and pillars. Launching of the girders, followed by precast slabs. Later it is placed on the
armor and concreting of the deck, thus finishing with the signaling.

Question 17 - What elements should be analyzed in a foundation project?

bridge?

Calculation of actions, site investigation and definition of the type of foundation.

Question 18 - Why is differential settlement more harmful to the structure of a bridge?

Because damaging the Mesostructure can lead the entire bridge system to collapse.

Question 19 – What are the limitations of using shallow foundations in projects?

bridges?

It cannot be applied where the soil surface has low resistance or is subject to erosion, and it is
unfeasible for use in rivers.

Question 20 - Generally, when should deep foundations be used in projects

of road bridges?

When the surface soil is weak, that is, surface soils prone to erosion, the high
load capacity is required.

Question 21 - How does the working mechanism of a deep foundation operate?

They receive the loads from the structure and distribute them to the ground.
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Question 22 - What is the function of the reinforcements in the concrete supports used in the connections?

bridge deck with the pillars?

The need arises because when two structural pieces rest on one another, they can
rotate (rotation) or slide (translation) one relative to the other. These movements of rotation and
Translation may not always be absorbed by either of the two parts, making it necessary,
an intermediate element between them, which is the support apparatus.

Question 23 - Share your thoughts on the elastomer support devices used in freight.
(NEOPRENE) considering its main characteristics, hardness, and flow.

The elastomer support device, which is slices of rubber (polypropylene), is quite affordable for
its use, due to its flexibility and elasticity to withstand shear actions and
compression in addition to having a lot of resistance.

Question 24 - How are the loads acting on a structure classified?

Permanent Loads - Direct and indirect;

Variable Loads - Normal and special;

Exceptional Loads.

Question 25 – What are mobile charges and what differentiates them from other types of charges?

Mobile loads are applied to road and railway bridges or industrial gantries that support
overhead cranes for the transport of loads. The position of the loads varies according to the structure as the
vehicles pass through them.

Question 26 - What is the definition of Type-Train?

They are ideal vehicles, defined by standards where it is used to calculate the forces in a structure.
subject to moving loads.

Question 27 - What is the difference between Influence Line and Bending Moment Diagram?
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The influence line describes the variation of a certain effort as a function of the position of a
unit load that travels through the structure. The bending moment describes a set of loads
they present the minimum and maximum values in each of the structure sections.

Question 28 - What is the function of the impact coefficient?

Traditionally, the sizing of bridges and viaducts is done through a procedure

pseudo-static where the moving loads are considered without taking into account the effect of forces
inertial. In this procedure, the dynamic actions acting on the structures are multiplied by a
coefficient, referred to as impact coefficient, which aims to enhance these actions and this
to avoid structural calculations where the effect of acceleration is considered.