PRAVARA RURAL EDUCATION SOCIETY COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

REPORT ON

LONG SPAN STRUCTURE

NAME : SAMA ANJUM SHAIKH

CLASS: FOURTH YEAR B.ARCH

SEMESTER VII
INTRODUCTION

LONG SPAN STRUCTURE’S Structures with span larger than 15-20 meters are regarded to as Long Span
Structures. For Such structures span is unable to be achieved with ordinary R.C.C. construction.
Generally long spans result in flexible, column-free internal spaces, reduces substructure costs and time
to erect the structure.

CLASSIFICATION OF LONG SPAN STRUCTURES IS AS FOLLOWS

Form - Active Systems of flexible, non-rigid matter, in which the redirection of forces is effected by
particular form design and characteristic form stabilization

Section - Active

Systems of rigid, solid, linear elements, in which redirection of forces is effected by mobilization of
sectional forces

Vector - Active

Systems of short, solid, straight lineal members, in which the redirection of forces is effected by vector
partition, i.e. by multidirectional splitting of single force simply to tension or compressive elements

Surface - Active Systems of flexible or rigid planes able to resist tension, compression or shear, in which
the redirection of forces is effected by mobilization of sectional forces
 HOWRAH BRIDGE

• Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West
Bengal, India.
• Location : Howrah, Kolkata
• Architect : James Meadows Rendel
• Total length : 705 m
• Opened : February 3, 1943
• Construction started : 1935
• It weathers the storms of the Bay of Bengal region, carrying a daily traffic of approximately
100,000 vehicles and possibly more than 150,000 pedestrians
The following are some of the advantages of steel bridges that have contributed to their :

•They could carry heavier loads over longer spans with minimum dead weight, leading to smaller
foundations.

•Steel has the advantage where speed of construction is vital, as many elements can be prefabricated
and erected at site.

•In urban environment with traffic congestion and limited working space, steel bridges can be
constructed with minimum disruption to the community.

•Greater efficiency than concrete structures is invariably achieved in resisting seismic forces and blast
loading.

•The life of steel bridges is longer than that of concrete bridges.

•Due to shallow construction depth, steel bridges offer slender appearance, which make them
aesthetically attractive. The reduced depth also contributes to the reduced cost of embankments.

•All these frequently leads to low life cycle costs in

steel bridges

THE BRIDGES MAY BE CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE

POSITION OF CARRIAGEWAY

•Deck Type Bridge -The carriageway rests on the top of

the main load carrying members. In the deck type plate
girder bridge, the roadway or railway is placed on the
top flanges. In the deck type truss girder bridge, the
roadway or railway is placed at the top chord level

•Through Type Bridge -The carriageway rests at the

bottom level of the main load carrying members. In the
through type plate girder bridge, the roadway or railway is placed at the level of bottom flanges. In the
through type truss girder bridge, the roadway or railway is placed at the bottom chord level. The bracing
of the top flange or lateral support of the top chord under compression is also required.

•Semi through Type Bridge -The deck lies in between the top and the bottom of the main load carrying
members. The bracing of the top flange or top chord under compression is not done and part of the load
carrying system project above the floor level. The lateral restraint in the system is obtained usually by
the U-frame action of the verticals and cross beam acting together.
CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE MAIN STRUCTURAL SYSTEM
Many different types of structural systems are used in bridges depending upon the span,carriageway
width and types of traffic. Classification, according to make up of main loadcarrying system, is as follows:
(i)Girder bridges -Flexure or bending between vertical supports is the main structural action in this type.
Girder bridges may be either solid web girders or truss girders or box girders. Plate girder bridges are
adopted for simply supported spans less than 50 m and box girders for continuous spans up to 250 m.
Truss bridges are suitable for the span range of 30 m to 375 m. Cantilever bridges have been built with
success with main spans of 300m to 550m.

(ii)Rigid frame bridges -In this type, the longitudinal girders

are made structurally continuous with the vertical or inclined
supporting member by means of moment carrying joints.
Flexure with some axial force is the main forces in the
members in this type. Rigid frame bridges are suitable in the
span range of 25m to 200m.

(iii)Arch bridges -The loads are transferred to the foundations

by arches acting as the main structural element. Axial
compression in arch rib is the main force, combined with some
bending. Arch bridges are competitive in span range of 200m
to 500m.

(iv)Cable stayed bridges -Cables in the vertical or

near vertical planes support the main longitudinal
girders. These cables are hung from one or more
tall towers, and are usually anchored at the
bottom to the girders. Cable stayed bridges are
economical when the span is about 150m to
700m.

(v)Suspension bridges -The bridge deck is suspended from cables stretched over the gap to be bridged,
anchored to the ground at two ends and passing over tall towers erected at or near the two edges of the
gap. Currently, the suspension bridge is best solution for long span bridges.
Arched bridge
CONSTRUCTION

All members of the super structure comprise built up riveted sections

with a combination of high tensile and mild steel

•Between towers bridge deck hangs from panel points in the lower
chord of the main trusses with a series of hungers

FOUNDATION

The main tower is founded with single monoliths which are 55.31 x
24.8m in plan with 21 chambers

•Monoliths at Calcutta and Howrah side are founded31.41 m and

26.53 m in below ground level respectively.

•Minimum headroom in carriageway is 5.8 m

•Freeboard for river traffic is 8.8 m

Joint System of Bridge (Expansion Joints)

•Longitudinal expansion and lateral sway movement of the deck
are taken care of by expansion and articulation joints.
•There are two main expansion joints, one at each interface
between the suspended span and the cantilever arms.

ARTICULATION JOINTS

•There are total 8 articulation joints.

•3 at each of the cantilever arms.
•2 in the suspended portionThey divide the bridge into segments with vertical pin connection
betweenthem to facilitate rotational movements of the deck.
 Central span 1500 ft between centres of main towers
 Anchor arm 325ft each
 Cantilever arm 468ft each
 Suspended span 564ft
 Main towers are 280ft high above the monoliths and 76 ft apart at the top
 Bridge deck width 71 ft with two footpaths of 15 ft either side
 15 ft wide footpath on either sides of the bridge71ft wide bridge deck or road
 Material used high-tensile alloy steel, known as Tiscrom, were supplied by Tata Steel.