Bridges



Bridge Making- Everyone has their own perspective: The architech- designer- makes sure that the structure blends into the environment The Planning Expert- has to determine whether or not a bridge is needed. He/she is the first person in the process. The Surveyors and Mapping Experts- Measure the land available. Make maps of the available land. The Bridge Designer- how will the bridge going to look. He/she needs to know everything about the land, purpose, weather conditions, etc. The Soils Engineer- Determines if the ground is suitable for a foundation. Traffic and Safety Expert- This person will make the bridge be as safe as possible to avoid any accidents. The Aerial Photographer- takes pictures from a plane to help the surveyors do their job. The Landscape Architect- This person makes sure what living things can be near the bridge The Environmentalist- They need to make sure that no habitats are destroyed. Structural Engineer- Approves the design. Looks for someone to build the bridge but is affordable. The Foreman- helps the project superintenrent with specific jobs. They are in charge. The Builders- these people actually construct the bridge. The Inspector- these people make sure that the bridge is safe.

Task- Construct a team that will clean up the coat area. How will you decide who does what job? Did it seem fair. Discuss with your teammates.

What is a Suspension Bridge? A suspension bridge works like a game of tug of war. But for the bridge to work, both sides must be even. Grab a partner. Hold each other's wrist. Make sure you don't pull your partner off balance. You should feel tension in your arm. This is how a suspension bridge works.

What is the bridge's job? It is to hold whatever is intended to go over it without fail. The weight of the bridge is called dead load.

Now- Crisscross your hands with a few people. Pull slightly. You should be stronger as a group.

Gravity is not a friend of bridges. But if the forces are in balance, the bridge will stand.

Bend your finger. The skin on the inside gets compressed or made smaller, while the skin on top of your finger is stretched or tensed.

What happens when you sit on the plastic chair? The plastic is compressed. Now sit on a wooden chair. You can't see the wooden chair compress, but it did.

A deck is the surface of a bridge in which you walk or drive on.

Supports are what holds the bridge. All bridges have supports. Foundation- is the ground in which the supports are on.

Towers- The tallest sections which hold the cables.

In a beam and arch bridge, the ends are called abutments.

The sections holding the bridge up from below are called piers.

Hangers are found in suspension bridges. They are the cables that run thro the cables to the deck.

Writing activity-How are people like bridges?