CENG-5501
FUNDAMENTALS OF
BRIDGE DESIGN
Abrham G. (PhD)
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1. Introduction
Background
It is a vital structure in highway construction where
rivers, gorges,… exist.
Bridges are constructed primarily to carry
communication routes, such as railways, over an
obstacle like road, river etc.
Bridge Engineering covers :
planning, design, construction and operation of
structures that carry facilities for the movement of
humans, animals, or materials over natural or
created obstacles.
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Ethiopia is one of a mountainous
country in Africa.
Topographic condition: rough terrain,
deep gorges, rivers, …..
Roads without constructing crossways
is difficult. Thus, Bridges are vital
structures required during roads
construction.
Bridge constn. in Ethiopia:
1. On Blue Nile near Alata, Almeida
Bridge, thick log is placed. (The 1st
Bridge)
2. After 1667 many bridges were
constructed in Gonder and Lake
Tana area.
In Addis Ababa:
1.Kebena, Ras Mekonnen (1902)
bridges were constructeded;
1935-1945 (Italian occupation)
During the last 30 years (many
bridges were constructed)
Slab and T- Girder bridges made
using RC, are the most commonly
used bridges in Ethiopia.
Most of the bridges so far
constructed in the country have
now been widened and replaced
because their roadway widths were
too restrictive for the safety of
accommodating modern traffic.
1. Introduction . . . cont’d
Bridges by year of construction
1200 Bridges by Type PC Box
1040 Steel
2.92% Girder
1000 926 0.19%
891
Masonry RC Arch
800
Arch 0.42%
12.96%
600 514 RC Box
400 10.99%
400
262 RC Slab
193 49.59% RC Deck
200
Girder
10 15 22.94%
0
Almost 46% of the bridges are found in fair & bad conditions
ERA (Ethiopian Roads Authority) Data ERA-BMS Software
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Major Bridges in Ethiopia
Name Type Length Year
Beshilo RC Deck Girder 319 2002 7-span
Hidasse Extradose, PC 303 2009 3-span
Tekeze No.3 Steel Truss 280 2001 The longest
steel
Bridge
Baro RC Deck 276 1981 305???
Abay No.4 PC Box G 236 1992
Beshilo Bridge
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Abay Hidassie Bridge
10
Tekeze Bridge
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Baro Bridge
12
Abay No. 1, 204m, 263m
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Different Types of Bridges in
Ethiopia
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Classification of Bridges
Bridges can be classified on the basis of the following
characteristics
Construction material as Steel, Concrete, Timber or
combination of any two or more.
Span length as short, medium or large.
Structural forms as Slab, T-Girder, Box Girder, Arch,
Suspension etc.
Span type as single or multi-span.
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2. INVESTIGATION FOR BRIDGES
Bridge Site Selection
In locating a bridge crossing the following should be
considered
The reach of the river should be straight
The channel in the reach should be well defined
The crossing site should be as narrow as possible
The crossing site should have firm high banks which
are fairly inerodable.
The site should be selected where skewness can be
avoided …..
There are two types of rivers namely
alluvial and incised.
Alluvial rivers are winding and they erode
their banks and scour their beds;
They are continually active, scouring and
depositing materials on the banks and
transporting sediments.
Incised rivers have a relatively stable
banks and arc generally narrower and
deeper than alluvial rivers.
Data Collection
Once the engineer has identified a
likely site for the bridge, it is necessary
to obtain field information on the
catchment area and run off, local
terrain conditions and water levels, and
other clearance requirements.
River Survey
High water marks can be obtained
from
The hydrologic characteristics of the
basin or watershed of the stream under
study are needed for any predictive methods
used to forecast flood flows. gauges or from
local people.
Selection of Bridges
Typically there are three to four viable structure types
for each span length. Criteria to select bridge include:
economy and
ease of maintenance,
aesthetics, etc
Soil Investigation
Once at the site it is easy and of great
value to sample for soil, rock, stone,
water, etc.
Soil investigation is required to get soil
profile, engineering property of the
foundation material and foundation
level of the abutments and piers for
design of the foundation.
boreholes, test pits or geophysical
surveying shall be conducted
Field Sketching and Photos
It has proved very practical to make a
simple sketch of the bridge site with
approximate water shores, existing
structures, scour holes, main stream
location, etc including very rough
dimensions with approximate
measurements
Span Determination
Span determination is usually dictated by the
hydraulic requirement. However, there are
conditions where lengthen spans are chosen for the
sake of road alignment.
1. Economy (For a given span the most
economical span is the length at which
superstructure cost equals to substructure
cost.)
2. Hydraulic requirement (DFL,OFL,…)
Bridges are designed to accommodate
design discharge at design flood. When a
river has a wide flood plain, the economical
solution may be using short span bridge
with proper scour and erosion protection for
the embankment, abutments and piers.
3. Location of the bridge site
4. Location of Piers
Piers should be located in such a manner that they
can provide the required lineal waterway and
navigational clearance.
The alignment of piers and abutments should, if
possible, be set parallel to the direction of flow
during maximum flood.
5. Grade requirement of the road
Often in mountainous areas the road way grade is
governed by the capacity of heaviest vehicle to
climb, vertical curve and sight distance. These
requirements may increase the span beyond the
hydraulic requirement.
6. Free board: 0.3 – 1.2m fn(Q)
The waterway below the superstructure must be
designed to pass the design flood and the floating
debris carried on it.
These clearance measurements should be increased
for backwater effects when the flow is restricted by
short span bridge.
