Table of Contents
Why are bridges made of concrete?
Concrete provides the base structure for bridges and viaducts, just as the soil provides the base structure for an asphalt road.
Why is steel used in bridges?
With the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, truss systems of wrought iron were developed for large bridges, but iron did not have the tensile strength to support large loads. With the advent of steel, which has a high tensile strength, much larger bridges were built, many using the ideas of Gustave Eiffel.
Why is concrete not used for bridges?
Concrete is very weak when a tension force is applied to it and therefore has a very low tensile strength. (To address this weakness, steel is often embedded within the concrete at locations where tension forces are known to exist, making reinforced concrete.
Who invented concrete?
Joseph Aspdin
In 1824 Joseph Aspdin invented Portland cement by burning finely ground chalk and clay until the carbon dioxide was removed. Aspdin named the cement after the high-quality building stones quarried in Portland, England.
When did India use concrete?
India entered into the Cement Era in 1914, when the Indian Cement Company Ltd. started manufacturing Cement in Porbundar in Gujarat. However, even before that a small cement factory was established in Madras in 1904 by a company named South India Industrial Ltd.
Why are there more concrete bridges than steel bridges?
Also, concrete does not require the same level of inspection as steel spans do. There is no need to check for fatigue cracks in concrete spans. When both the initial cost and and long-term costs are added together, concrete is typically cheaper. This is why there are more concrete bridges.
Can steel be used to build a bridge in water?
Steel will have lesser life span than concrete used in a bridge in water. Therefore concrete is a preferred choice. Thanks for contributing an answer to Engineering Stack Exchange!
Why are bridges so hard to build in Brazil?
Steel requires expert welders and careful torquing of screws. In Brazil the lack of steel-skilled workers is such that a welder easily earns more than an engineer. Weld-checkers swim in cash. Bridges are often built far from urban centers, meaning your choice of constructor may be limited, reducing the quality of your workers.
When was the first bridge made of steel?
Iron was first used to bridge the ‘Tees’ river in England in 1741. By the 1880s, steel had become a material of choice. Amongst bridge materials steel has the highest and most favorable strength qualities, and it is therefore suitable for the most daring bridges with the longest spans.