LAURON, RIA MAE S.

CE502

INFLUENCE LINE PROBLEMS:

STATICALLY DETERMINATE BEAMS
TRUSS
STATICALLY INDETERMINATE BEAMS
LAURON, RIA MAE S.
CE502

MOMENT DISTRIBUTION BEAMS

LAURON, RIA MAE S.
CE502

DISCUSSION/IMPRESSION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF:

BRIDGE PLANNING
CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF STEEL BRIDGES
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
EXPANSION JOINT
FOUNDATION
VIADUCT
 BRIDGE PLANNING
Without a plan, people tend to search for possibilities. They may only be stop looking for solutions if
they have been shown proof that a good planning for the job has been done and they can rest assured.
Planning is important because it is the foundation to help achieve you meet your project objectives and
achieve your ultimate goals. It is the same in our line of work as civil engineers. Well, not just us but as
well as everyone. A project without a plan may not only lead to chaos but could also possibly endanger
the people working on it. As civil engineers, designing the best bridge not just for our clients but also
for the people who would benefit from it, is not an easy job to do so it takes a lot of planning starting
from scratch before getting a greenlit to start the project. There are four main criteria for evaluating the
best bridge which are safety, cost, durability, and strength. These four things should not be ignored and
should always be the focus of civil engineers working on it. They should all be balanced. We may design
a bridge to be strong and safe, but it could not be the most cost effective. Focusing on cost could lead
the design of the bridge to be flimsy and unsafe that could lead to possible casualties. Without proper
planning we could end up with a bridge that is either more costly than it needs to be, unsafe, or could
not last long. Once we planned considering these criteria, that is the only time we could design the best
bridge. Engineers bring stability as we take on seriously our responsibility for the safety and well-being
of the people we do our jobs for.
 CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF STEEL BRIDGES
As students, we learn about the types of loads, how to calculate ultimate load combinations, and
investigate the different sizes for the beams and girder, slab, and column so when we can take on projects
as licensed civil engineers and tasked to design a bridge, we would know the factors we need to consider
and what construction method we need to conduct, and what type of bridge we will design, if it is
concrete, composite or steel. Designing a steel bridge has several erection methods including bent
method, launching method, traveler crane method, diagonal hanging cable erection method, vertical
hanging cable erection method, and other more erection method. Every method has its own advantages
and disadvantages depending on several factors like soil condition, topography and many more. For
example, using the bent method could be easy for geometrical control, has short construction period and
economical compared to other method, and uses light equipment, but it is impossible to use under the
girder during the construction period, depends on ground condition whether it is flat and firm grounds,
and it is not suitable for high columns or heavy weight girders. That is why we have bridge planning so
we can decide what we could build depending on the surveys, studies and planning we conducted before
concluding whether to build a steel or concrete bridge.
 PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The introduction of prestressed concrete has helped the construction of bridges that could stand and
function for a long period of time. This became a huge change in the field of bridge engineering. The
construction of prestressed concrete bridges often comprises of precast units lifted into position and then
tensioned against the units already in place and the process continue repeatedly until the span is
complete. The use of simply supported precast prestressed concrete beams in smaller bridges has been
proved to be an economical form of construction. And there are a lot of advantages of using prestressed
concrete rather than the normal reinforced concrete for bridges. The advantages are that prestressed
concrete members are free from cracks and the resistance to impact, shock, and stresses are higher than
reinforced concrete structures, they have greater longevity because the reinforcement stays unaffected
from outer agencies, using high compressive strength of concrete and high tensile strength of steel makes
more economical, smaller sections can be used for longer span by reducing the section members, they
are lighter in weight and easily transportable, requires a small amount of construction materials, shear
resistance of members can be increased by using curved tendons, and lastly prestressing reduces diagonal
tension in concrete. Though the disadvantage of using prestressed concrete is that it may cost higher than
other reinforced concrete structure and the high tensile steel used in them are hard to procure.
 EXPANSION JOINT
When we go back and study basic science again, we would be taught by our teachers that all materials
flexible or not are prone to changes in their physical appearance with changes in the surroundings
temperature. Especially for structural steel, when not used for a long time and just tossed aside in the
construction site, once it gets wet with rain or accidentally poured with water, it would get rusty and
could not be used again. This would result to our huge loss in resources and materials to use. Not only
would we lose resources, but it is also a waste of expenses since it cannot be used anymore. The
expansion joint is one of the most important structural elements of a bridge since it keeps the running
surface smooth, absorbs deformation caused in the superstructure, and provides safety and comfort for
riders. Expansion joints prevent build up of resonant frequencies, which dangerously amplify the
swaying motion of bridges, because without these joints, bridges are liable to collapse and could kill
many people. When I was a kid, I would always wonder why those metal things are in the bridge.
Whenever we drive though them, our jeep would bounce so hard my head hit the roof sometimes.
 FOUNDATION
Back when it was still not occurring to me that I would take up the program of civil engineering, I would
always thinking that structures like bridges and skyway you see when you go to Manila are so big and
amazing how they stand up like that with just few of those round concrete things. The only thing I knew
about concrete structures is that you mix them, pour them in formworks, and them you let them dry. And
it really was amazing to me when I was a kid how I thought that skyways are made with pouring concrete
one by one. Like, a singe column and foundation are already so big, wondering how many concretes
they need to pour things that big. Now, as an aspiring civil engineer, it is important to know about the
foundation which is the most important part of the structure since foundations carry the weight of the
structure to solid ground. It serves as a base to everything above it. Proper foundation strength, size,
shape, and quality is very crucial to building a successful structure. And the strength of the structure lies
in how strong its foundation is to be able to hold the structure upright. Foundations must be built
successfully so it could prevent ground moisture from seeping in into the structure and weaken it.
 VIADUCT
The longest bridge that I knew since my elementary days was the famous San Juanico Bridge. I was
even wondering how they built that under water. And to be honest, it was only now that I am a college
student taking up this industry of civil engineering that I found out about viaducts. Even though I have
been on one before since some of my high school fieldtrips were on Pampanga and we have traversed
in the Candaba Viaduct. The only thing crossing my mind back then when we were traversing the viaduct
was it was like a never-ending road. I did not even know that it was a bridge we were on since I thought
bridges were structures built over bodies of water and the Candaba Viaduct’s surroundings are fields of
grains, rice, green plants, and trees. I have only even heard of aqueducts but not viaducts. Now I know
the difference between bridges, aqueducts, and viaducts. It lies on how they are constructed, their use
and position. Bridges are terms used for structures built over water used for transport. Aqueducts are
artificial channel constructed to transport water from one location to another. And lastly, viaducts is a
series of bridge with several spans that carries roads.