Stress, Strain and Stress Ribbon Structures

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Stress and Strain Relationships on Stress Ribbon Structures

A bridge is a type of transportation infrastructure that is built to join two separate points of land together. Bridges often undergo construction in order to provide passage over certain obstacles such as bodies of water or geographical depressions. They can be classified in several different ways including by their intended use or by the materials used to make them. A bridge built solely for people to cross over is classified as a pedestrian bridge. Likewise, a bridge made out of wood would be classified as a wooden bridge, while a bridge made out of concrete would be classified as a concrete bridge. However, the most efficient way to classify bridges is according to their structural form (“Bridges,” 2008).

The three most basic types of bridge structures are girder bridges, arch bridges, and suspension bridges (“Bridge Technology,” 2007). The girder structure consists of a chain of beams that are interconnected and supported vertically through the use of well allocated piers. The arch structure utilizes curved elements to disperse the applied forces downwards into end abutments. Finally, the suspension structure exploits the superior tensile strength of steel cables in order to help carry the massive loads applied to the bridge. While some bridges are built basic in structure, others are made through a combination of the structural forms mentioned above (“Bridges,” 2008).

Stress Ribbon Bridge

A stress ribbon bridge is a unique type of bridge structure that is characterized by its simple catenary shape and slender concrete deck. “The stress ribbon concept borrows the suspension bridge principle but develops it further by using high-strength materials and m...

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Strasky, J. (2004). Recent development in design of stress ribbon bridges. Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:HZ_0RHziXHQJ:www.cement.org/Bookstore/download.asp%3Fmediatypeid%3D1%26id%3D7121%26itemid%3DIS617+stress+ribbon&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShElFbAnAHmbhR0Xr7oSO5RWxWd7CKzAA-IJAUKW3xsI0niIoTDH_BowhTg6N-rYhBlJ39EpWH4oEH2h9y4KY3_ekYc EY0lXD8K-Xrva1vl4yqAM58jGNMkI03-vCCCVe8RvYR5&sig=AHIEtbR6ZvE Amub84QgS4uUL-H1s-o0lbQ

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US Concrete Precast Group. (2011). Lake Hodges Pedestrian Stress Ribbon Bridge.

Retrieved from http://www.us-concreteprecast.com/project-profiles/lake-hodges-pedestrian-stress-ribbon-bridge/

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