Where was the first bridge built? Who built the first bridge? Bridges in the Roman Empire

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How was the glass opened?

Glass has been known to man for thousands of years. For a long time it was used to decorate and make precious things. But glass really became useful for everyone when people learned to use its main quality - transparency. It turned out that you can see through it!

No one knows exactly when and where glass was first obtained, although it is known that it has been used since ancient times. The main ingredients for making glass are sand, soda ash, or potash and lime, melted together at a high temperature. And since all these materials are widespread on Earth, the secret of making glass could be discovered in many countries. Therefore, there is no consensus on this matter. According to one of the existing versions, the honor of discovering glass belongs to the ancient Phoenicians. The crew of a ship, the legend says, landed on the banks of a river in Syria. Wanting to cook their own dinner on the fire, they did not find large stones to put a pot on them, and used for this purpose large pieces of saltpeter (sodium compounds) from the cargo of the ship. From the intense heat, the saltpeter melted, combined with the surrounding sand and flowed like a stream of liquid glass! It is up to the reader to believe this story or not, but it is indisputable that Syria was one of the first places of glassmaking on Earth. And Phoenician merchants sold glass products in all Mediterranean countries.

Another country where glass making was known from ancient times was Egypt. Glass beads and amulets have been found in tombs dating back to 7000 BC. e. However, these products could get there from Syria. But we know for sure that around 1500 BC. e. The Egyptians made their own glass. To do this, they used a mixture of crushed quartz pebbles with sand. They also found that if cobalt, copper, or manganese was added to this mixture, it was possible to obtain blue, green, and purple glass.

After 1200 B.C. e. The Egyptians learned how to cast glass in glass molds. But the glassblowing pipe was unknown until the beginning of the Christian era, when it was invented by the Phoenicians.

The Romans were great craftsmen in terms of making glass, who, apparently, were the first to start making thin window panes. And by the beginning of a new era, window glass had already become a subject of everyday life!

To answer this question, we must turn to prehistoric times, since always and everywhere man had to find a way to cross the streams and rivers that he met on his way.

Probably, nature itself provided the first bridge for man when a tree fell across a stream. A person could easily copy it. Probably, just such wooden bridges were used for a long time, before some prehistoric engineer came up with the idea of pouring stones in the middle of the stream and throwing logs from them to the banks.

So it turned out a simple girder bridge with one imperfect support. The next step in building a bridge over a wide, shallow stream was to build a few pillars and connect them with logs or stone slabs. Two logs were stacked side by side and crossbars were laid on them as a flooring. The result was a wooden girder bridge, very similar to those still being built across small streams in the countryside. Larger girder bridges are now built on iron beams, while the strongest are built on steel beams.

Bridge spans should not be too long, but where the necessary supports can be built, a bridge of any length can be built. Therefore, many long railway viaducts are just girder bridges.

Any bridge has two main parts - the superstructure and the supports on which it rests.

The bridge piers must be strong, because if they sink or are washed away by water, the entire bridge may collapse. Today, engineers usually strive to install bridge piers as deep as possible, and this often involves a huge amount of excavation. For example, during the construction of the Eads Bridge across the Mississippi in St. Louis (Missouri), the supports were dug 40 meters below the water level, and for the bridge across the bay between San Francisco and Oakland - even 70 meters!

From the cycle "Mysteries of our planet"
If you fly over the sea between India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), then at some point you can notice a strange shoal located literally at the very surface, which, slightly curving, connects the island and the continent. The Muslims call this sandbank the bridge of Adam, and the Hindus - the bridge of Rama.

Strange Shoal
The Muslim name is due to the fact that the followers of this religion believe that Adam, expelled from paradise, descended to earth in Ceylon. And on the continent, in India, he crossed this strange shoal, so much like a bridge.

Hindus even believe that this is really a man-made bridge, built in ancient times on the orders of Emperor Rama by an army of monkeys led by Hanuman. According to the Ramayana, Nala, the son of the legendary divine architect Vishvakarman, supervised the construction, and Rama's troops crossed over this bridge to Sri Lanka to fight with its ruler, the demon Ravana, who kidnapped Rama's beloved Sita.

On the Arab medieval maps, it is marked as a real bridge rising above the water, along which anyone could cross from India to Ceylon. The situation changed in 1480, when, as a result of a strong earthquake and the strongest storm that followed, the bridge sank and was partially destroyed. However, the Portuguese and the British still marked it on the maps as an artificial structure, dam or bridge.

The length of the bridge is almost 50 kilometers, its width varies from about 1.5 to 4 kilometers, the depth of the seabed around the structure is 10-12 meters. Most of it is hidden by water, sometimes at a depth of more than a meter. So even now it is quite possible to walk along it from beginning to end, either wandering along the stone canvas knee-deep in water, or going deeper to the waist and more.

The only major obstacle is the so-called Pambas passage between Rameswar Island and Ramnad Point, which is accessible to small merchant ships. The few travelers who decide to make such a transition have to use all their swimming skills here. For those who are not strong in this, it is better not to walk on the bridge at all - a strong current through Pambas strives to demolish the daredevils into the open sea.

damn channel
Large ships are still forced to sail around Sri Lanka, which takes an extra 800 kilometers, which is 30 hours of travel. To solve this problem, back in 1850, the English commander Taylor proposed to draw a canal through the Rama bridge. In 1955, Jawaharlal Nehru wished to implement this plan. Since it is somehow unethical to destroy the sacred places of one's own people, the government of the country in the Supreme Court of India stated that there is no historical evidence of the construction of the bridge by Rama. Although the Ramayana is a holy book, it somehow does not count.

But real passions about the construction of the canal flared up already in the 21st century, when the Setusa Mudram corporation was formed for this. She even took up construction work at the site of the future canal, but for unknown reasons, part of the dredges was returned to the port due to breakages, including bucket teeth. An unexpected storm scattered the vessels involved in the construction and did not allow the work to continue. Hindu believers immediately declared that it was the monkey king Hanuman guarding his creation.

On March 27, 2007, just on Rama's birthday, a group of international public organizations launched the Save Ram Sethu campaign - Save Rama's Bridge. Since for Hindus the Rama Bridge is a living proof of their ancient history, the construction that began touched the feelings of millions of believers. Campaign activists also said that the destruction of the bridge would destroy the entire local ecosystem. After all, to the northeast of the bridge is the stormy and dangerous Polk Strait with its storms and cyclones, and to the southwest is the calm Manara Bay with the purest emerald water.

The Rama Bridge separates them and softens the terrible consequences of cyclones and tsunamis. So, according to scientists, the tsunami that hit India in 2004 and claimed tens of thousands of lives was significantly weakened by the Rama Bridge. Without this ancient "dam", there could have been much more victims. The Save Ram Sethu proclamation was signed by thousands of people. The defenders of the bridge propose to accept an alternative project: to dig a canal through a large sandbank near the village of Mandapam. Whether they will be heard by the Indian government remains to be seen.

Facts show: the bridge is man-made
In many ways, we are already accustomed to the fact that behind legends and myths reality and long-turned pages of the past of our planet are often hidden. Nevertheless, the images that NASA released a few years ago surprised even the inhabitants of Sri Lanka and India.

On them, with all the clarity that modern photographic equipment gives, a real bridge between the continent and Ceylon is visible. After the publication of the NASA images, the Indian newspaper The Hindustan Times reported that the images obtained by American satellites were evidence of the reality of Indian legends, and that the events narrated by the Ramayana, including the construction of the Rama Bridge, really took place.

However, NASA chose to distance itself from any specific statements. Yes, satellite photos clearly show the amazing geomorphology of the area. But, NASA says, "Remote sensing images from orbit alone cannot provide specific information about the origin or age of the island chain, and cannot determine human involvement in the origin of the object."

But the data that allows us to judge this was received by the Geological Survey of India 6SI. Its specialists examined the entire structure of the Rama Bridge. 100 boreholes were drilled in and around the bridge, and soil samples were carefully studied. Magnetic and bathymetric scans were carried out. As a result, it was found that a low underwater ridge (bridge) is a clear anomaly, since it appears at the bottom quite unexpectedly.

The ridge is a cluster of boulders measuring 1.5x2.5 meters in regular shape, consisting of limestone, sand and coral. These boulders lie on the sea sand, which is 3 to 5 meters thick. And only under the sand begins solid stone soil. The presence of free sand below the boulders obviously indicates that the ridge is not a natural formation, but laid on top of sandy soil. Some of the boulders are so light that they can float on water.

It was also found that these land areas did not rise as a result of any geological processes and rather resemble a dam. A homogeneous material, limestone, was found in the wells. The rectilinear and orderly nature of the laying also testifies in favor of the fact that these boulders were brought by someone and laid in the dam.

It seems strange, of course, that the bridge has simply an exorbitant width for the crossing of troops, and anything else. But that's by today's standards. Alexander Volkov, director of the 2009 documentary Rama's Bridge, has this to say:

Legends say that it was built by monkey warriors who were of gigantic growth. And we even tried to illustrate in the film that the height of these giants was - you won't believe it - 8 meters! But, looking at this bridge, you involuntarily begin to believe in it - there is no point in building such a width for you and me. But for people who are eight meters tall, and at the same time have some kind of weapons, there probably appears a logic in the width of this bridge.

In general, there are many questions, of course, many. One such issue is the age of the bridge. Based on the legends, some Hindu theologians say that Rama's bridge is a million years old, others give a more modest age - 20 thousand years. Western researchers-alternatives put forward a really radical version - 17 million years. Even Indian academic science condescended to solving the problem and offered its own version - 3500 years, obviously linking construction with the Aryan conquest of India. However, with many ambiguities, it is obvious that the Rama Bridge is indeed an artificial, man-made structure. The studies conducted by GSI, I dare to believe, have convincingly proved this.

If you fly over the sea between India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), then at some point you can notice a strange shoal located literally at the very surface, which, slightly curving, connects the island and the continent. This sandbank is called by Muslims Adam's bridge and the Hindus Rama bridge.

The Muslim name is due to the fact that the followers of this religion believe that Adam, expelled from paradise, descended to earth in Ceylon. And on the continent, in India, he crossed this strange shoal, so much like a bridge.

Hindus even believe that this is really a man-made bridge, built in ancient times on the orders of Emperor Rama by an army of monkeys led by Hanuman. According to the Ramayana, Nala, the son of the legendary divine architect Vishvakarman, supervised the construction, and Rama's troops crossed over this bridge to Sri Lanka to fight its ruler, the demon Ravana, who kidnapped Rama's beloved Sita.

damn channel

Large ships are still forced to sail around Sri Lanka, which takes an extra 800 kilometers, which is 30 hours of travel. To solve this problem, back in 1850, the English commander Taylor proposed to draw a canal through the Rama bridge. In 1955, Jawaharlal Nehru wished to implement this plan. Since it is somehow unethical to destroy the sacred places of one's own people, the government of the country in the Supreme Court of India stated that there is no historical evidence of the construction of the bridge by Rama. Although the Ramayana is a holy book, it somehow does not count.

On March 27, 2007, just on Rama's birthday, a group of international public organizations launched the Save Ram Sethu campaign - Save Rama's Bridge. Since for the Hindus the Rama Bridge is a living proof of their ancient history, the construction that began touched the feelings of millions of believers. Campaign activists also said that the destruction of the bridge would destroy the entire local ecosystem. After all, to the northeast of the bridge is the stormy and dangerous Polk Strait with its storms and cyclones, and to the southwest is the calm Manara Bay with the purest emerald water.

Facts show: the bridge is man-made

In many ways, we are already accustomed to the fact that behind legends and myths reality and long-turned pages of the past of our planet are often hidden. Nevertheless, the images that NASA released a few years ago surprised even the inhabitants of Sri Lanka and India.

The ridge is a cluster of boulders measuring 1.5 × 2.5 meters of regular shape, consisting of limestone, sand and coral. These boulders lie on the sea sand, which is 3 to 5 meters thick. And only under the sand begins solid stone soil. The presence of free sand below the boulders obviously indicates that the ridge is not a natural formation, but laid on top of sandy soil. Some of the boulders are so light that they can float on water.

“Legends say that it was built by ape warriors who were gigantic in size. And we even tried to illustrate in the film that the height of these giants was - you won't believe it - 8 meters! But, looking at this bridge, you involuntarily begin to believe in it - there is no point in building such a width for you and me. But for people who are eight meters tall, and at the same time have some kind of weapons, there probably appears a logic in the width of this bridge.

In general, there are many questions, of course, many. One such issue is the age of the bridge. Based on the legends, some Hindu theologians say that the Rama bridge is a million years old, others give a more modest age - 20 thousand years. Western researchers-alternatives put forward a downright radical version - 17 million years. Even Indian academic science condescended to solving the problem and offered its own version - 3500 years, obviously linking construction with the Aryan conquest of India. However, with many ambiguities, it is obvious that the Rama Bridge is indeed an artificial, man-made structure. The studies conducted by GSI, I dare to believe, have convincingly proved this.

The Brooklyn Bridge is currently one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Back in the 19th century, the question arose of connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn through the East River. However, no one knew how to do this. No matter how many studies on this topic have been conducted, none of them has yielded concrete results. One of the options for solving this problem was the construction of an underground tunnel. But such an enterprise required a lot of effort, labor and, of course, money. A way out of this situation was found by the German engineer, inventor of the steel cable, John Roebling. He suggested simply replacing the material that would be used in construction. So the bridge was supposed to be steel, but not cast iron. The project was accepted, of course. Construction has been started. During the final measurement of the bridge, the boat carrying John Roebling collided with a piling ferry. The foot of the chief engineer was crushed, the doctors were forced to amputate it. But John fell ill with tetanus, and died 3 weeks after the operation. His son Washington took over the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. But as soon as the heir began work, he was struck down by decompression sickness, during which all the gases in the human body enter the bloodstream. This causes paralysis and death. Washington was so ill that he could not get out of bed. Therefore, his wife Emily had to intercept the baton of construction. She became the first female field engineer. Due to Washington's illness, they decided to remove him from construction, but Emily defended his right to participate in the project. The bridge was opened in 1883. Before this event, Emily drove over it with a rooster in her hands, as a symbol of victory. A memorial plaque with the names of three of its builders was hung on the bridge.

A few weeks later, a rumor spread among the people that the bridge was falling apart. As a result, a stampede began, and as a result of which 12 people were injured. The authorities decided to refute such a conjecture quite extravagantly: they let 21 elephants from a touring circus across the bridge. In 2006, a secret bomb shelter was discovered in a bridge support, which is closer to Manhattan.

It was built during the height of the Cold War. A lot of provisions, blankets and first aid kits were found in the room. More recently, on July 2, 2014, part of the bridge collapsed. Four were hurt.

1. 1877 Photo courtesy of the New York Museum of History Archive Photos/Getty Images.

2. 1903 Buyenlarge/Getty Images.

3 Topical Press Agency/Getty Images.

4. A worker drinks cold beer at the bridge. 1955 Three Lions/Getty Images.

5. 1999 Paul Loeb/AFP Photo.

6. New 2008 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

7. 2006 Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images.

8. 2008 Mario Tama/Getty Images.

9. 2010 Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

10. 2010 George Rose/Getty Images.

11. 2014 unidentified persons displayed a white flag instead of the US flag. Andrew Gombert/EPA.

Brooklyn Bridge in New York - photo — 2018

The Brooklyn Bridge (Brooklyn Bridge) is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. It connects Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City by crossing the East River. The length of the bridge is 1825 meters. When completed, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first to use steel bars. The main materials for the construction of the bridge were limestone, granite and cement. The first name of the bridge is the "Bridge of New York and Brooklyn". The modern name was assigned to the bridge in 1915.

Brooklyn Bridge in New York divided into three parts: for automobile and pedestrian traffic. The side lanes are for cars, while the middle lane is for pedestrians and cyclists.

At the beginning of the 19th century, there was a need to connect two cities - Brooklyn and Manhattan. Various studies have been carried out, but they did not give a clear result.

Initially, it was planned to build an underground tunnel, but this project was abandoned, as it was too costly and laborious.

In 1869, engineer John Roebling, who had repeatedly designed and built suspension bridges, proposed his own project, where he wanted to use steel instead of cast iron. Roebling's project was quickly approved and construction began on January 3, 1870. After John Roebling died in a bridge construction accident, his son Washington continued his work. But after a while he was seriously injured and his wife Emily Roebling took over the construction. We can say that the Brooklyn Bridge owes its appearance to the entire Roebling family.

The construction of the bridge took 13 years and was completed on May 24, 1883. The Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest in the United States. Its cost was 15.1 million dollars. The bridge consists of three spans supported by two towers. The length of the middle span is 486.3 m.

The grand opening of the bridge was attended by New York City Mayor Franklin Edson and President Chester Arthur. This day was made a day off for people, and everyone could come and look at this architectural achievement.

On the first day, 1,800 different vehicles passed over the bridge and about 150,300 people passed. And Emily Washington became the first person to walk across the bridge. A week later, there was a rumor that the bridge might collapse, which led to a stampede and the death of 12 people. To calm the residents of the city, the authorities led 21 elephants from the local circus across the bridge.

Since 1980, night lighting has been installed on the bridge.

In 2006, during renovation work, a bomb shelter built in the mid-1950s was discovered. The entrance was in the wall of the support from the Manhattan side. In the middle were found supplies of food, medical supplies, blankets, protective installations.

For a long time, the Brooklyn Bridge (orig. Brooklyn Bridge) has been called one of the true symbols of New York.

The suspension bridge, which is more than a hundred years old, is not in vain one of the most significant sights of the city. Residents of the city have long wanted to unite the city, which was divided by the East River. That is why at the end of the 19th century it was decided to build a bridge.

Bridge architect John Roebling proposed using light steel instead of heavy cast iron for construction, and his proposal was met without enthusiasm, because steel is known to rust over time when exposed to water. The architect, despite this distrust, did it his own way, galvanizing the supporting cables, the durability of which can be no doubt even now. The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge still cost its creators their lives. John Roebling himself and his son Washington, who continued his work, died from injuries sustained in the process of work on the creation of the bridge.

For the next 11 years, construction was led by Emily Roebling. Now their names are engraved on the bridge as a gratitude and respect for the creators of the bridge. Incredible beauty opens up from this truly architectural masterpiece - the East River, the skyscrapers of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The Brooklyn Bridge has been featured many times in various films. For obvious reasons, filmmakers do not miss the opportunity to shoot at least a small scene with the participation of this miracle of engineering.

Brooklyn Bridge as a landmark in New York

The Brooklyn Bridge- "grandfather" of bridges in the United States and the oldest cable suspension bridge. However, not a single tourist deprives him of his attention.

View of the Brooklyn Bridge

The bridge stretches over the East River Strait, between the islands of Manhattan and Long Island, thereby connecting New York with Brooklyn (one of the districts). Now it has six lanes for cars and one more - in the center on a hill - a pedestrian crossing and a bike path. The Brooklyn Bridge is famous not only for its long, but also for its towers 83 meters high, in neo-Gothic style.

Photo of the Brooklyn Bridge

The idea of connecting these cities has been visiting New Yorkers since 1806. Debate, research lasted for more than 60 years, until the project of John Augustus Roebling was chosen as the final one. New York Bridge Company". The construction of the bridge started on January 3, 1870, lasted for 13 years, until the end of May 1883.

Photo of the Brooklyn Bridge

Construction has a sad history.

2 years after it began, while examining the bridge support, John Roebling seriously injured his leg. The architect got blood poisoning, refused the operation, which led to death. The project was headed by the son of John Roebling - Washington. the new leader also did not last long: he was paralyzed, and he could only watch the continuation of construction from the window.

View of the Brooklyn Bridge at night ... Beautiful, isn't it?

Her husband's business had to be completed by Emily Roebling. She perfectly mastered higher mathematics, the strength of materials, the specifics of the construction of suspension bridges. And after 11 years, I had the honor to read, among other creators of the bridge, my name. The bridge cost the government $15.1 million.

In the evening and at night, the Brooklyn Bridge is beautifully illuminated.

It is interesting that John Roebling, not knowing the role of the laws of aerodynamics, designed a bundle that was 6 times stronger, he himself believed! The open design of the cable bundle, which the spans “hold on to”, is less prone to deformation from wind loads. And the diagonal cables that connect the towers and decks turned out to be generally superfluous. However, they were saved because of the special charm that the bridge gives. The engineering innovation of the Brooklyn Bridge is the steel ropes used as the supporting structure.

During the reconstruction in 2006, workers discovered a secret bomb shelter created during the Cold War between the USSR and the USA. The entrance to it was carefully hidden from the side of Manhattan in the wall of the bridge support. Food supplies (350,000 metal cans of biscuits), blankets, medical kits and air purifiers were found in the cache.

On the opening day of the bridge, about 1,800 vehicles and almost 150,300 people used it to cross or cross over. However, after a while, someone started a rumor about the possibility of the bridge collapsing. As a result, 12 people died in the stampede. To refute the rumors, the authorities were helped by elephants from the circus, which, by a lucky chance, toured nearby. 21 animals were led across the bridge without causing any damage to the structure.

To this day, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most important landmarks in New York City, a good landmark on the road and one of the most beautiful bridges in the United States.

Plan

Introduction

History of bridge construction

When were the first bridges built?

The longest bridge in the world

The largest bridge in Europe

bridge architecture

Bridge construction

Bridge classification

§ Tower Bridge

arch bridges

§ Harbor Bridge

§ The Charles Bridge

beam bridges

suspension bridges

§ Golden Gate Bridge

§ Tsingma Bridge

§ Akashi-Kaikyo

§ The Brooklyn Bridge

§ The largest suspension bridges in the world

Cable bridges (cable-stayed)

Pontoon bridge

Pedestrian bridges

§ Solferino Bridge

15 best bridges in the world

Bibliography

Bridge- an artificial structure thrown over a river, ravine, lake or other physical obstacle. A bridge over a road is called an overpass, a bridge across a ravine or gorge is called a viaduct. The bridge is one of the oldest engineering inventions of mankind.

As a rule, bridges consist of superstructures and supports. Span structures serve to absorb loads and transfer them to supports; they may have a roadway, a pedestrian crossing, a pipeline. The supports transfer loads from the superstructures to the base of the bridge.

Superstructures consist of load-bearing structures: beams, trusses, diaphragms (transverse beams) and the roadway slab itself. The static scheme of superstructures can be arch, beam, frame, cable-stayed or combined; it determines the type of bridge by design. Usually spans are straight, but if necessary (for example, during the construction of overpasses and road junctions), they are given a complex shape: spiral, ring, etc.

The forms of supports can be very diverse. Intermediate supports are called bulls, coastal - abutments. Abutments serve to connect the bridge to the approach embankments.

Materials for bridges are metal (steel and aluminum alloys), reinforced concrete, concrete, natural stone, wood.

Bridge is a device that has been helping a person to cross various obstacles for seven thousand years. Bridges, as an engineering structure, began to be built a little later than the invention of the wheel. Throughout the history of the bridge, various materials have been used for its construction. Starting from wood and ending with modern metal alloys. Bridges are classified according to various factors: from the type of construction (arched, suspension) to the purpose of construction (pedestrian, automobile).

If earlier the bridge served only as a means of crossing an obstacle, then at present it has long been an object of art. All architectural bureaus are fiercely competitive and try to create bridges not only durable and reliable, but also give them an interesting design and unique style. The bridges of each country vary greatly from each other.

A bridge is a complex structure that consists of several parts. If we single out the main components of the bridge, then these will be span structures, supports and base (foundation). The uppermost part is span structures. They have two main functions. The first one is used for roads, pedestrian crossings, railways, etc. The second is the transfer of weight to the supports. The supports, in turn, transfer the weight to the base. In order to properly distribute the weight over the supports, the span structures include longitudinal and transverse beams (diaphragms). The working part of the bridge is located on a large slab. The type of span structures determines the classification of the bridge. These structures can be made in the form of an arch, a beam, or have a hanging look. Most often, the bridge has a straight shape, which means that the span structures are made straight. But sometimes they have a complex structure in the form of a spiral or various roundings. For example, in the construction of overpasses.

The first invention that revolutionized the transportation of objects and things was undoubtedly the wheel. The second most important invention was the bridge. The construction of the first bridge in history is not documented, but it is known for sure that they were built in ancient times. They looked like a log thrown across the river. Much later, when stone processing reached a higher level of development, it was stone that began to be used for the construction of bridges. These bridges began to be built in ancient Egypt and ancient Greece with the help of slaves. An architect slave who could build bridges was highly valued in the market. At first, only the supports of the bridge were made of stone, but later the entire bridge was built of stone. The largest and most sophisticated builders in the era of the Ancient World were the Romans. They were the first to use cement to build pillars. Basically, the Romans used bridges, or rather, one of their varieties - aqueducts, to supply water to cities.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the recipe for cement was lost (it was rediscovered at the end of the Middle Ages). Several Roman bridges are still in use today. In the Middle Ages, during a period of great growth in trade, there was a need to improve bridges. All bridges have become solid and stone.

In the 17th century, high bridges began to be built to allow ships and barges to pass through. The length of such bridges reached one hundred meters.

In the 18th century, bridges began to be made of metal. The first such bridge was constructed in England across the River Severn. The real revolution in the construction of bridges was the invention of the railway. To support the weight of a train with a load, unusually strong bridges were required. Therefore, they began to be made of metal and steel.

History of bridge construction

Primitive bridges, which were a log thrown over a stream, arose in ancient times. Later, stone was used as a material. The first such bridges began to be built in the era of the slave society. Initially, only the supports of the bridge were made of stone, but then its entire structure became stone. Great success in stone bridge building was achieved by the ancient Romans, who used vaulted structures as supports and used cement, the secret of which was lost in the Middle Ages, but then rediscovered. Bridges (more precisely, aqueducts) were used to provide cities with water. Roman historian Frontinus Sextus Julius wrote that aqueducts are the main witnesses of the greatness of the Roman Empire. Many ancient Roman bridges are still in use today.

In the Middle Ages, the growth of cities and the rapid development of trade necessitated a large number of durable bridges. The development of engineering thought made it possible to build bridges with wider spans, shallow vaults and less wide supports. The largest bridges of that time reach more than 70 meters in span.

The Slavs use wood instead of stone. The Tale of Bygone Years tells about the construction of a bridge in Ovruch in the 10th century. In the XII century, a floating bridge across the Dnieper appeared in Kyiv. At that time, arched wooden bridges were the most common in Russia.

At the same time, rope bridges, which are the simplest form of hanging bridges, are becoming widespread among the Incas.

Medieval Notre Dame Bridge France

In the 16th and 17th centuries, there was a need for even larger bridges that could pass large ships. In the 18th century, the height of the span of bridges reaches more than 100 meters. The project of a wooden single-arch bridge across the Neva, 298 meters long, compiled by I.P. Kulibin, remained unrealized.

World's first metal bridge (UK)

Since the end of the 18th century, metal has been used for construction. The first metal bridge was built in Coalbrookdale, UK on the River Severn in 1779. The height of its span was about thirty meters, the ceilings were cast-iron arches.

In the 19th century, the advent of railways required the construction of bridges capable of withstanding significant loads, which stimulated the development of bridge building. Gradually, steel and iron are established as the main materials in bridge building. Gustav Eiffel in 1877 built a cast iron arched bridge across the Douro River in Portugal. The height of the span of this bridge was 160 meters. The longest in Europe at the end of the 19th century was the bridge across the Volga at Syzran, built according to the project of N. A. Belelyubsky and amounting to 1443 meters in length. In 1900, a bridge across the Yenisei in Krasnoyarsk (designed by L. D. Proskuryakov) was awarded a medal at an international exhibition in Paris.

In the 20th century, bridges were also built of reinforced concrete. This material compares favorably with steel in that it does not require regular painting. Reinforced concrete was used for beam spans up to 50 meters, and arched - up to 250 meters. Metal continues to be used - in the 20th century, large metal bridges were built - beam bridges across the St. Lawrence River in Canada (span length 549 meters), across the Kill-van-Kill Strait in the USA (503.8 m.), As well as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA (the length of the main span is 1280 meters). The largest bridges of our time, including the world's highest Akashi-Kaikyo (the length of the main span is 1991 meters), are suspended. Cable-stayed span structures allow covering the greatest distances.

When were the first bridges built?

The first capital bridges, which were not afraid of either the flood or other elements, began to be built in ancient times. Bridge construction was most widespread in the era of the Roman Empire. Over the rivers lying on the way, the Romans threw magnificent arched stone bridges, preserved in many places. On the bridge lying between Carthage and Hippo Diorite, even today there is an automobile highway. Also, the bridge in Rimini (Italy, the beginning of the 1st century AD), built of marble-like Dalmatian limestone, is still in use. The appearance of the bridge in Rimini is distinguished by strict, severe proportions, noble restraint and simplicity of decoration. The famous Italian architect Palladio, who subtly perceived the beauty of ancient architecture, considered it the best Roman bridge.

M ost Ponte de Tiberio in Rimini

In Spain, near the Portuguese border, in a harsh mountainous area, stands the Alcantara Bridge, thrown over the Tagus (Tejo) River at the turn of the 1st-2nd centuries. Architect Guy Latzer.

Not far from the bridge on the bank of the river in ancient times there was a temple, near the ruins of which an inscription was found on a marble slab:

"The bridge that will always remain in the centuries of constant peace, Latzer erected over the river, glorious with his art." In total, about three hundred Roman bridges have been preserved in Europe.

The longest bridge in the world

Today, the longest bridge in the world is the Seto-Ohashi Bridge, which connected in 1988. Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku. "Ohashi" is Japanese for "big bridge" and Seto is the Inland Sea of Japan. Thus, "Seto-Ohashi" - "Great Bridge over the Inland Sea."

Seto-Ohashi, in fact, is not one bridge, but a whole complex of six large bridges:

Minami Bisan,

Kita Bisan

Iwakurojima

Hitsuishijima

Shimojiu and four auxiliary bridges.

Their total length is 12.3 km. (including 9.4 km - over the sea).

The longest of the bridges is Minami-Bisan. Its length is 1.723 km. The height of the larger of its two pillars is 194m. Even at high tide, the distance from the bridge to the water level is 65m, which allows tankers and oceangoing vessels to freely enter the Inland Sea of Japan.

The Iwakurojima and Hitsuishijima bridges are almost the same not only in shape, but also in size - their length is 792m. The Yoshima Bridge is the only Seto-Ohashi bridge to have a truss structure.

All six bridges are two-level - the first level has a high-speed four-lane freeway, the second - a two-track conventional railway, as well as two tracks for a high-speed railway line - "shinkansen", which will be opened in the future.

The Inland Sea of Japan is usually calm, but the area itself is known to be at risk of earthquakes. But the Seto-Ohashi bridges are designed to withstand an earthquake of 6.5 on the Richter scale.

The largest bridge in Europe

The largest bridge in Europe was the bridge over the Tezhk (Tajo) River in Lisbon, named after the great Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama. It was built in 1995-1998. and is open during the days of the World Exhibition "Expo-98". The Vasco da Gama Bridge was the last grandiose construction of the 20th century.

Another record was the timing of the construction of the bridge. The decision to build it was made in 1991. The design of the bridge took years, but the construction took only 8 months.

The total length of the bridge is 17.185 km, including 10 km over water. The width of the bridge is 31m. The height above the water surface is 14m, and in the central section it rises to 47m - this is necessary for the passage of ships. The central section is suspended and has a length of 420m. The 192 steel cables that support this section of the bridge hold the mighty H-shaped pylons 155 meters high. The remaining sections of the bridge are cantilevered and are based on concrete box-section beams.

bridge architecture

Many bridges are outstanding monuments of architecture and engineering. In some cities, such as St. Petersburg or Prague, bridges are an integral part of urban architecture.

Many ancient Roman bridges are made in the classical style: almost devoid of decor, they, nevertheless, due to their massiveness and expressive architectonics, create a feeling of strength and reliability.

In the Middle Ages, the two predominant types were bridges with semicircular (or circular) arches and bridges with pointed arches. The first type was based on the Roman tradition, the second was borrowed from oriental architecture and soon lost popularity, as it unnecessarily increased the height of the bridge. Another phenomenon in medieval bridge building was street bridges that appeared in all major European cities (for example, Ponte Vecchio in Florence). In the Middle Ages, decor appeared on the bridges (this happened at the end of the 14th century): for example, the Charles Bridge in Prague decorated in the Gothic style.

new bridge in Paris

The improvement of bridge building technology during the Renaissance made it possible to significantly increase the ratio of the thickness of the vault to the height of the span. As a result, bridges have become taller and lighter in design. The design of stone bridges is being improved: round and box vaults appear (New Bridge in Paris). In general, there is a tendency to imitate ancient architecture. A little later, baroque appeared, gravitating toward dynamic compositions and lush decor. The baroque Bridge of Sighs in Venice is widely known.

Classicism was popular in the 18th century. Bridges built in this style were distinguished by clear symmetry, attention to the proportions of the structure, and large spans. Classicism was widespread in France (Concorde Bridge in Paris) and Russia (Cross Bridge in Pushkin).

By the middle of the 19th century, the main forms of metal bridges had formed. During this period, lattice balcony trusses became widespread. Significant development was given to the design of arched bridges (for example, the Garabi viaduct, built by Gustav Eiffel). At the end of the 19th century, suspension bridges gained popularity: in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was built in the USA, and a little later, the Manhattan Bridge. Suspension bridges remain popular in the 20th (Golden Gate Bridge) and 21st centuries.

Bridge construction

The first (and most expensive - up to 50% of the total cost of construction) stage in building a bridge is the erection of supports. Supports are constructed in open pits or by immersing piles, sinkholes, caissons, and prefabricated shells into the ground. Piles (mainly reinforced concrete) are mainly used in the construction of small and medium bridges. They are driven into the ground using diesel hammers and electric vibratory hammers. In the construction of large bridges, mainly prefabricated shells with a diameter of up to 3 meters are used.

Span structures are usually installed on supports with erection cranes. During the construction of large bridges, the span structure is often assembled on the shore and then moved (pushed) along the supports from one shore to another. The hinged installation method involves building up the structure from the bridge support into its span. In this case, hinged installation is used with the help of a crane moving along an already constructed part (for metal superstructures) or hinged assembly with the manufacture of individual elements at the factory and their subsequent transportation to the object (for reinforced concrete).

Otherwise, the construction of suspension bridges takes place: it begins with the installation of pylons; then temporary cables are hung on them. With their help, the main cables of the bridge are wound, after which the suspensions and the stiffening beam are mounted.

Bridge classification

A wide variety of bridges forced engineers to create a special classification, for easier

bridge types. Bridges can be classified according to several criteria.

For example, by scope, that is, it is determined for what purpose this or that bridge serves: to move pedestrians, cars, trains, or even water.

By design, means that bridges are divided according to the shape in which they were built. In the form of an arch, hanging, humpbacked, etc.

Bridges are distinguished by the place of passage (passage): top, bottom, middle. Because of their uniqueness, drawbridges are a separate group. This is only a small part of the principles of classification.

Bridges can be divided according to the material from which they are made, according to material costs, according to the speed of construction, etc.

Application area- this is the purpose for which certain bridges were built. According to this criterion, bridges are divided into the following categories:

Automobile - they are distinguished by a wide and durable automobile plate. It's meant to move

only cars.

Railway - the structure of the span slab includes railway tracks, along which

moving trains and locomotives.

Metrobridges - for the movement of the subway.

Pedestrian bridges - for the movement of pedestrians.

Combined - the most common type of bridges. Designed for the movement of several (a

and all) modes of transport. They are distinguished by a very large and durable plate.

There is another type of bridge that was used by the Ancient Romans - the aqueduct. It is designed to transport water. Nowadays, aqueducts are very rare and are found more as an exotic than a useful structure.

bridge structure- this is the form in which it was made, the position in which its constituent parts are located. According to this principle, bridges can be of the following types.

Arched bridges - the supports of such a bridge are made in the form of an arch or vault. Typically, there are additional crossbeams between the two pillars of the arch to help distribute the weight.

Beam bridges are the most "running" type of bridges. Such bridges connect short distances. The main span element is a beam that connects the bridge supports and softens the load.

Console - consists of consoles. Currently rarely built.

Suspension bridges - a bridge in which the main supporting structure is made of flexible elements (cables, ropes, chains) working in tension, and the roadway is suspended. For the first time, such bridges were built by the Maya Indians, but they have only gained real distribution now. This view is represented by all the largest bridges in the world in terms of length and span height.

Cable-stayed bridges are a type of suspension bridges, consisting of one or more pylons, which are connected to the roadway by means of straight steel ropes - guys.

Pontoon bridges - these bridges are installed for a short period of time on floating structures. It is also called a floating bridge.

Humpback bridges are very strongly curved upwards.

Special drawbridge designs

A special type of bridges - drawbridges. In the divorced state, the bridge does not interfere with the passage of ships. St. Petersburg is famous for its drawbridges, where all bridges across the Neva, except for the Bolshoi Obukhovsky Bridge, are drawbridges.

· Bridges raised by raising the middle part

1st type: the span rises in a horizontal position upwards (for example, the railway bridge in Rostov-on-Don)

2nd type: the span or spans rise by turning around one of the hinges (for example, the Palace Bridge in St. Petersburg)

· Swivel bridges: in such bridges, the middle part is hinged on a support standing in the middle of the river. The bridge is raised by turning the middle part by 90°, so that the middle part becomes parallel to the riverbed. An excellent example of such a design is the Varvarovsky Bridge in the Ukrainian city of Nikolaev, the turning span of which is 134 meters long.

Tower Bridge- one of the most famous bridges in the world. It is located in London and has long been associated with the capital of foggy Albion. This bridge is a drawbridge and runs over the River Thames. It is often confused with the Brooklyn Bridge. The official opening ceremony of the Tower Bridge took place in 1894. The famous English architect Horace Johnson worked on its construction. The length of the Tower Bridge is 244m. On each side there are two towers, each 65 m high. The bridge is divided into two parts, each of which can rise during the course of the ship at an angle of 83 degrees. The distance between the two towers is 61m. The thousand-ton wings of the Tower Bridge open in just 1 minute.

At the end of the 19th century, the panorama of the Tower was enriched by a monument, its appearance is closely connected with it. This is Tower Bridge - Tower Bridge, built in the spirit of medieval buildings, with "Gothic" towers, with heavy chains of bridge structures. However, the impression of similarity with medieval monuments is purely external. The bridge was built in 1886-1894 by engineers Jones and Barry and fully corresponded to the technical capabilities of England at that time. It can be quickly pulled apart to allow large ships to pass into the last stretch of the Thames available to them between the Tower and London bridges, into the so-called "pool" or "backwater". So that at this time pedestrian traffic would not stop, a transition was made in the upper level of the bridge, to which stairs inside the towers lead. Now, however, this transition is no longer used.
The Tower Bridge is a monument typical of England, where the adherence to ancient architectural styles has been preserved for centuries and in some cases still exists today. The neighborhood of the Tower determined here, of course, the choice of medieval forms, the interest in which was always particularly persistent in England. And although with its huge mass the Tower Bridge somewhat suppresses the fortress bastions, but, firmly fitting into the London landscape, it forms a single ensemble with the Tower, becoming one of the prominent sights of the city.

Arch bridge- a bridge with superstructures, the main supporting structures of which are arches or vaults. The characteristic features of arched bridges are the transfer of not only vertical, but also horizontal forces (thrust) to the supports, as well as the work of arches (vaults) mainly in compression. Stone arched bridges have been known since ancient times. Modern arch bridges are built of reinforced concrete (mainly) or steel. In some cases, thrustless arched bridges are erected with special elements (puffs) that perceive the thrust. Arched bridges are usually arranged with a ride on top, they are distinguished by their lightness of construction and architectural expressiveness.

Harbor Bridge(English) harborBridge) is Sydney's largest bridge that spans Port Jackson Bay. One of the largest arch bridges. It is one of the main attractions of Sydney. The bridge was built in 1932, and the opening took place on March 19. The bridge provides road, pedestrian and rail traffic.

The Harbor Bridge connects downtown to the North Shore and crosses Port Jackson Bay.

The arched span of the bridge is 503 meters long, the steel arch weighs 39,000 tons and rises to 134 meters. above sea level, although its height can increase by about 180 mm on hot days, due to the fact that the metal expands when heated. The length of the entire bridge is 1,149m. The width of the bridge is 49 m. The total weight of the bridge is 52,800 tons.

Since October 1, 1998, regular excursions have been carried out to the upper arch of the bridge, from which a breathtaking panorama of the city opens. To climb, you only need shoes with rubber soles and a special suit with insurance, which is issued on the spot, the instructor will help you with everything else.

sydney bridge

Last year, the Sydney Harbor Bridge turned 75 years old and is rightfully considered one of the symbols of Australia's largest city. Due to its location, it is usually photographed right next to the Opera House, located very close by. It's funny, despite the relatively low cost of the bridge ($12 million), the last payment on it took place only in 1998.

Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Brasilia, Brazil.

This bridge is an example of elegant design. 3 huge arches support the overall structure. The total length of the bridge is 1.2 km.

The Charles Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the world. It is located in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. The style of Charles Bridge is designed in the Gothic style. It is decorated with many towers, statues and sculptures. This bridge began to be built on July 9, 1375. Its original name is Prague, but in 1870. it was renamed in honor of the creator - Charles IV.

The Charles Bridge was built over the Vltava River. It connects the two oldest districts of Prague: Old Town and Lesser Town. It belongs to the arch type of bridges, because its main load-bearing element is 16 beautiful arches. Its width is 9.5 meters and its length is 520 meters.

Charles Bridge is primarily famous for its towers. All of them were built at different times. The towers located on the sides of the bridge are the entrance. The eastern tower has become one of the brightest buildings of medieval architecture. This tower has beautiful, numerous sculptures of Czech queens and patron saints. There are also coats of arms on it, symbolizing the large-scale possessions of Charles IV.

Charles Bridge - a bridge in Prague over the Vltava River, connects Prague's Lesser Town and Stare Mesto. Built in the Middle Ages. There are 30 sculptures on the bridge. The bridge is 520m long and 9.5m wide. The bridge rests on 16 powerful arches lined with hewn sandstone squares.

Today it is the only work of its kind in medieval art. The foundation stone of the bridge was laid by Charles IV on July 9, 1357. The stone bridge was originally called Prague, in 1870 it was named after the founder.

beam bridges

Beam bridges were the first to appear. After all, the simplest beam is a log thrown across a stream. Here is the bridge for you. If the length of the log is not enough, then you can drive wooden or stone abutments into the bottom and connect them with logs-beams. Then the girder bridge becomes multi-span.

The first wooden girder bridge with stone abutments known to historians was built in Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC).

However, wooden beams are short-lived, and making them from stone is not so easy. After all, you need a very strong solution that can hold the fitted stone slabs on weight. Therefore, until the beginning of the 19th century, girder bridges were mainly used to transfer temporary roads across small rivers - where it was unprofitable to mess with stone bridges.

The situation changed with the advent of welded iron structures. And in 1850, engineer Robert Stephenson threw across the Menai Strait, which separates the northwestern tip of Wales from the island of England, a railway bridge, called "Britain". The trains went inside iron boxes 70 and 100 meters long.

Today, beam structures of bridges are used in complex transport interchanges. This is very convenient, because such a design can be made at the factory and the bridge can be assembled on site. The standard length of a beam structure for a bridge adopted in Russia is 42 meters.

A variety of girder bridges - frame bridges. If the spans of girder bridges are not rigidly fixed to the supports (so that vibration and other additional loads are not transferred from the beam to the support), then in frame bridges, the beams and supports are fastened into a single rigid structure. This improves the strength of bridges. This is how most of the large overpass bridges in Moscow on the Garden and Third Transport Rings are arranged.

General view of the steel beam bridge "Europe" on the highway Munich - Rome

Suspension bridge- a bridge in which the main supporting structure is made of flexible elements (cables, ropes, chains, etc.) working in tension, and the roadway is suspended. Suspension bridges are often referred to as "suspension bridges", however, the term "suspension bridge" is not used in specialized literature on architecture and construction.

Suspension bridges find the most successful application in the case of a large bridge length, the impossibility or danger of installing intermediate supports (for example, in navigable places). Bridges of this type look very harmonious, one of the most famous and beautiful examples is the Golden Gate Bridge, located at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.

Golden Gate Bridge located in America. It is thrown across the strait of the same name. From 1934 to 1964, this bridge ranked first among the largest suspension bridges in the world. Josef Strauss, one of the most famous engineers in the world, was involved in the construction of this bridge. His assistant was Irving Morrow. Charles Alton Ellis did all the math, but due to a major quarrel between him and Josef Strauss, Ellis is not listed as the builder of the bridge on one of the south towers. This bridge was built for 4 years starting from January 5, 1933. The bridge is painted in a distinctive red-orange paint for three reasons. Firstly, all steel structures are painted in this color. Secondly, paint of this color contains substances that prevent the appearance of rust. And, thirdly, thanks to this color, the bridge is clearly visible in the fog, which is a very common occurrence in this area.

The Golden Gate Bridge is the only road north from San Francisco, so it has six reverse lanes. In one day, about a hundred thousand cars pass through the Golden Gate.

The construction of the bridge began on January 5, 1933 and lasted more than 4 years. The bridge was designed by engineer Josef Strauss and was consulted by architect Irving Morrow, who used art decor elements in the design. All mathematical calculations for the bridge were made by Charles Alton Ellis, but due to bad relations between him and Joseph Strauss, Ellis's name does not appear in the construction of the bridge and is not inscribed on the bridge builders' plaque on the south tower.

May 27, 1937 at 6 o'clock in the morning the Golden Gate Bridge was opened - for pedestrians. For the first 12 hours, it belonged only to them. The next day, at a signal from President Roosevelt from the White House, the first cars drove onto the bridge. In 1987, when the bridge turned 50, a special celebration took place. On this occasion, they even wanted to block traffic on the bridge so that all participants in the holiday could walk along it. But it turned out that with a large crowd of people it is not safe, so the original plan was canceled "for the impossibility of its implementation."

Golden Gate Bridge, California, USA. The main load-bearing cables (or chains) are suspended between pylons installed along the banks. Vertical cables or beams are attached to these cables, on which the roadbed of the main span of the bridge is suspended. The main cables continue behind the pylons and are anchored at ground level. Cable extensions can be used to support two additional spans.

Under the action of a concentrated load, the supporting structure can change its shape, which reduces the rigidity of the bridge. To avoid deflections, in modern suspension bridges, the roadway is reinforced with longitudinal beams or trusses that distribute the load.

Brooklyn Bridge- one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, its length is 1825 meters, it crosses the East River and connects Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City. At the time of completion, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first bridge to use steel bars in its construction. The original name is the New York and Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge is used for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic - along it is divided into three parts. The side lanes are used by cars, while the middle lane, at a considerable elevation, is used by pedestrians and cyclists.

The Brooklyn Bridge is located in New York and crosses the East River.

John A. Roebling and W. Roebling, father and son, are the builders of this bridge. Work on this project began on January 3, 1870 and ended on May 24, 1883. At the time of opening, this bridge had the largest span in the world (486m) and the largest weight (15,000 tons). The supports stand right in the water, rising to 84m.

The Brooklyn Bridge belongs to the category of two-level bridges. Its lower level, with six lanes, is reserved for cars. And the upper level is for pedestrians and cyclists. Steel ropes were first used as load-bearing structures during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Statistical experts claim that during the first two days after the opening of the bridge, more than 300,000 New Yorkers crossed this bridge on a footpath.

tsinma- suspension bridge in Hong Kong, the fifth longest in the world. It connects Qing Island in the east and Mawan Island in the west, is part of the Lantau Highway, which, with three other bridges, connects the New Territories, and Chek Lap Kok Island, where Hong Kong International Airport is located. The railway is part of the MTR subway system, the Tung Chung line and the international airport.

The bridge has two levels, along which road and rail traffic is organized. At the upper level is a six-lane highway, three lanes in each direction. On the lower level there are two railway tracks and a spare two-lane highway for official purposes and for movement during strong winds (Hong Kong is sometimes affected by typhoons). The main span of the bridge has a length of 1377 meters (more than the famous Golden Gate in San Francisco), the height of the pylons is 206 meters. The span is the largest in the world among the bridges on which railway traffic is organized.

Akashi Kaikyo(Jap. Akashi Kaikyo: Ohashi) is a suspension bridge in Japan that crosses the Akashi Strait (Akashi) (Akashi Kaikyo) and connects the city of Kobe on the island of Honshu with the city of Awaji on the island of Awaji. It is part of the Honshu-Shikoku highway and will eventually become part of the system of three bridges connecting the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. It brings together the cities of Kobe, located on the island of Honshu and Awaji, located on the island of the same name. This bridge belongs to the type of suspension bridges. He is the owner of the longest span in the world, 1991m long.

Previously, before the construction of this bridge, there was a ferry crossing in its place. Due to frequent storms, this crossing was considered one of the most dangerous. In 1955 a major storm capsized two ferries, killing 168 children. The general indignation of the population forced the Japanese government to start building a suspension bridge. Initially, the Japanese builders decided to build a bridge for both rail transport and cars. However, in 1985 decided to confine themselves to a road bridge with six lanes. The official opening of the bridge took place on April 5, 1988. The cost of building the bridge exceeded 500 billion yen.

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge is mentioned twice in the Guinness Book. It is the longest suspension bridge and the highest bridge in the world. Although, now the title of "giant" belongs to the Millau viaduct.

The largest suspension bridges in the world

The country	City (place)	Let	Span, m	Year completed. construction	Name of the bridge
	about. Honshu - about. Shikoku				Akashi-Kaikyo (Akashi)
	Halskov-				Big Beldt
Hong Kong (Hong Kong)	about. Lantau				Tsing Ma (Tsing Ma)
United Kingdom		bay of the humber			Humber (Humber)
	New York	R. Hudson			Verrazano-Narrows Ferrazano-Narrows)
	francisco				(Golden Gate)
	Veda Hornyo				Hoga Husten
	about. Honshu - about. Shikoku				Seto Ohashi Minami Bisan Seto
	Istanbul	Bosphorus			Bosphorus
	Istanbul	Bosphorus			Bosphorus
	New York	R. Hudson			J. Washington
	about. Honshu - about. Shikoku				Kurushima-Z
	about. Honshu - about. Shikoku				Kurushima-2
Portugal	Lisbon
United Kingdom	Edinburgh	bay fort			Forth (Fort bridge)

cable bridges

Nowadays, suspension bridges are being built of various types, among which the main place is occupied by cable bridges, the main bearing elements of which are flexible cables made of high-strength metal wire and stiffening beams. Such bridges have high strength and load capacity, these technologies are successfully used both for road bridges and for bridges through which rail transport passes.

The main elements of a suspension cable bridge are a cable, a stiffening beam, hangers, pylons and anchor devices.

The cable consists of a large amount of high-strength wire combined together, which works in tension and is able to take on large forces.

The stiffening beam works in bending, giving the entire bridge system the necessary rigidity. The beam gives the deflections of the bridge a smooth curve and thereby eliminates sharp drops in the movements of individual points.

The term "stiffening beam" is not defined and is used mainly in a generalized sense. In nature, a beam is a superstructure, consisting of main and transverse beams connected to the roadway.

Hangers play the role of a cable connector and a stiffening beam, and transfer a significant load to the cable.

With the help of pylons, the load is transferred from the cable to the foundation of the bridge, and the pylons also play the role of portal frames, creating to some extent the transverse rigidity of the hanging system. The anchor serves to secure the ends of the cable.

Pontoon bridge

Its main part is pontoons floating on the surface of the water, on which a canvas is laid for traffic and pedestrians. There are pedestrian, automobile and railway pontoon bridges.

Another type of pontoon bridges are the so-called. floating bridges. The difference is that at floating bridges, instead of pontoons, boats or barges installed in a row are used.

Both pontoon and floating bridges are mainly used for military purposes - for quickly crossing water bodies. Part of the bridge is made sliding for the passage of ships or ice during floods.

Information about when the pontoon (floating) bridge was first invented and built, and who was its inventor, is very contradictory in the bowels of the Internet.

There is a mention of the construction of a floating bridge across the Neva in St. Petersburg in 1727. It was built between the Admiralteysky and Vasilyevsky Islands by order of Alexander Menshikov.

There is a mention of the construction by Mr. Seguin, allegedly, of the first pontoon bridge in the French city of Annone in 1886.

Well, according to other sources, the right to invent the first pontoon bridge belongs to the author of the famous explanatory dictionary - Vladimir Dahl. During the Russian-Polish campaign in 1830, Vladimir Dal, as a military doctor, served in the army. When the Russian troops approached the Vistula, it turned out that the bridge connecting the banks of this river had been destroyed. Then Vladimir Dal, who received an engineering education at the Naval Cadet Corps, suggested tying together empty barrels from a nearby distillery, and laying boards on top. On this pontoon bridge, the regiment crossed the river.

Over time, the principle of building a pontoon bridge has not changed much, except that wooden barrels are now being replaced with metal pontoons.

Pedestrian bridges

The first bridge built by man, whether it be an ordinary log thrown over a stream, was undoubtedly a pedestrian one. It was only slightly expanded for more convenient passage of trade wagons and military cavalry. With the invention of the automobile, the pedestrian bridge became only an appendage to the automobile bridge. But soon some of the major tourist capitals of the world decided to build special pedestrian bridges that would allow numerous tourists to admire the surrounding view. This idea has gained such great popularity that many architectural firms have begun to compete actively in this area. Soon, various pedestrian bridges appeared in all major cities of the world, the main purpose of which is to serve as an adornment of the city. All these bridges are very unique and do not resemble each other.

In the late 1980s a completely new approach to the phenomenon of footbridges appeared. Until then, they were considered as more than a modest side and optional component of road bridges or the prerogative of obsolete bridge structures unsuitable for road traffic.
Nowadays, it has become clear that urban road bridges are not suitable for pedestrians: it is unlikely that a passer-by will stop on such a bridge in order to admire the river landscape. The impression will obviously be spoiled by heavy traffic, and possibly by crowds of people in a hurry to get over to the opposite side as soon as possible.

The need to create modern megacities has prompted the authorities of many European cities to build footbridges, and the most recognized construction and architectural firms have joined the competition in this area.

The new footbridge should blend in harmoniously with the environment and meet the many requirements of pedestrians. Many excellent footbridges have been built in the last decade, and while often completely different, they have a certain set of qualities: graceful design, providing all-round visibility, and spectacular night lighting. The designers are free to choose their preferences in terms of materials and the latest technical innovations, in order to create a footbridge that is the epitome of extravagant engineering.

Pedestrian bridge la Mujer Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Recently, the Puerto Madero area has been redeveloped almost from scratch by a local company, Antiguo Puerto Madero SA, under a plan that includes the creation of a new urban area with utilities, a road network and park areas. The proposal to build a footbridge over the 3rd dock in the port of Madero, which would connect the Avenida Alicia Morenaude Justo highway with the eastern commercial zone, was put forward by entrepreneur Alberta Gonzalez.

The Passerella de la Mujer Bridge was built in 2002. It is 175 m long and has two fixed spans of 40 and 30 m, as well as an intermediate hanging span of 100 m. The project was created by Santiago Calatrava.

To allow ships to pass, the center section of the drawbridge (approximately 70m wide) can be rotated 90° around a 10m high white concrete support, where the swivel mechanism is integrated. The side supports, also made of white concrete, are in the form of round cylinders with ellipsoidal capitals on top.

The bridge deck consists of a steel coffered beam reinforced with transverse and longitudinal plates. Structurally and aesthetically, the most important element of the structure is represented by a steel pylon, which rises 40m above the central support (around which the adjustable section rotates) and has an angle of inclination of 38.81 ° from the horizontal. During the opening process, the pylon rotates around the deck to the west when the bridge closes and to the east when it opens.

The pylon components are of varying thickness and are internally reinforced. The elegance of the structure is given by the shape of the adjustable section, which has been carefully calculated for the vibration effect. Various elements of the metal structure were made in Spain and assembled on site.

Confederate Bridge. This bridge is located in Canada, it is thrown between about. Prince Edward and the City

New Brunswick. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world. Its length is 13 km. It took 1 billion Canadian dollars to build this bridge. The builders plan to recoup the costs by introducing a toll on the bridge. The need to build such a bridge arose when Prince Edward Island went to Canada.

The ferry and sled boats were the only means of transportation for the islanders for 80 years. In 1993 with results of 60% to 40% it was decided to build the bridge. In addition to being the longest suspension bridge in the world, the Confederation is the longest bridge built over ice.

Bridge "Petronas" can be seen in the film "The Trap" with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It is located in Malaysia between two Petronas skyscrapers, which are shaped like towers. Its construction was completed in 1995. It belongs to the type of two-tier, covered bridges. The assembly of the bridge took place on the ground, and was installed at a height of 41 floors.

Pedestrian bridge Solferino connects the Musée d'Orsay on the Quai Anatole France with the Quai Tuileries, where the park of the same name is located. The bridge was built in the period 1997'-1999. in order to replace the temporary pedestrian bridge, which served in 1961 - 1992. to replace the old Solferino bridge.

The lovely cast-iron bridge with three spans stood for a hundred years. It got its name in commemoration of the victory of the French emperor Napoleon III (a former ally of Piedmont in the second war of Italian independence against Austria-Hungary) over the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph at Solferino in Lombardy in 1859.

A modern pedestrian bridge with a single span of 115m crosses the Seine and is organically woven into the urban landscape, where bridges play an important role. Mark Mimram's project made it possible to solve technical, aesthetic and planning problems of the city in a very original way: the entrance to the bridge comes from four different points along a series of asymmetrical passages that are embedded in a symmetrical structure.

Structurally, the bridge is quite simple: two mesh coffered arches are connected here by traverses that support the deck.

Steel arches are fixed at the ends and consist of sections decreasing in size in the direction from the heel stone to the vault. The bridge deck itself is made of steel and wood.

The longest pedestrian bridge in the world is called the bridge of three countries because it connects France, Germany and is located just a few meters from Switzerland. The opening of the bridge took place in the French city of Jungen, which is the sister city of the German city of Weil am Rhein, so the bridge connects both of their banks. During the opening ceremony, the delegations of the two countries met exactly in the middle of the bridge and made speeches about the friendship between France and Germany.

This bridge belongs to the arch type, the distance between the supporting structures is 230 meters. The bridge of the three countries is characterized by a special elegance of design.

But, judging by the statement of representatives of the United Arab Emirates, the first place among pedestrian bridges will be taken by the Arab bridge in the city of Dubai. It will be built between two skyscrapers at a height of 70 meters.

Bridges - despite the fact that these are serious engineering structures - often look very romantic, if only because they are most often built over water. They have their own names, their own history. In a sense, bridges are a symbol of connecting people, because bridges are destroyed during wars. These fifteen bridges are each unique in their own way, it would be nice to see them for yourself.

1. Millau Viaduct

This viaduct bridge - Millau, enveloping the French town of the same name, passes over a wide and deep gorge, along the bottom of which the Tarn River flows. Its construction was actively followed by the press, and there were two reasons for this. Firstly, this is a serious building, which holds three world records: the two highest pillars in the world (244.96 and 221.05 meters), the highest pillar of the bridge with a pylon (343 meters - slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower, and only 40 meters lower than the Empire State Building.), and the highest roadbed in the world - 270 m at its highest point. Secondly, both the bridge itself and the area in which it is located are very photogenic. At the end of December 2004, traffic was opened on this bridge. It has the only toll point - in the area of the town of Millau, the fare for passenger cars: 5-7 euros, but even before construction began, it was clear that investments in construction would not pay off in the next 75 years. But now it's so easy to get from Paris to Barcelona and vice versa.

2. BridgeZavikonIsland (Zavikon Island Bridge)

Judging by the postcards, even the oldest ones, this bridge seems to be the shortest international bridge in the world, connecting the islands - the territories of Canada and America. But, alas, this record is "inflated", since the map shows that both islands belong to Canada. So it's just a very small, and very nice bridge in a stunningly beautiful area called "1000 Islands". And it's worth watching anyway.

3. Zanesville Y-bridge (Zanesville Y-bridge)

This small town in Ohio, USA (just over 25,000 inhabitants) is famous for its ball-bearing factory and the Y-shaped bridge built at the confluence of two rivers. This is the only bridge in the world, crossing which you can find yourself on the same bank from where you started moving. There is only one other three-way bridge in the world, but its shape is similar to the letter "T".

4. BridgegateshedMillennium (Gateshead Millennium Bridge)

The two semicircles of this marvel of engineering resemble eyelids, which is why the people call the bridge the Blinking Eye. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge connects the two banks of the River Tyne between the cities of Newcastle and Gateshead. When ships go along the river, the bridge lifts the lower eyelid. The rest of the time it is lowered, and pedestrians easily move from one side of the river to the other. Traffic on it has been opened not so long ago - since the end of December 2004.

5. BridgeDonghai (Donghai Bridge Shanghai/Yangshan Island)

The bridge, opened to traffic in 2005, was named one of China's New 10 Wonders of the World in 2006. And there are reasons for this. It is the world's longest bridge over the sea and the longest bridge in Asia. Its total length is 32.5 kilometers, it connects Shanghai and the offshore port-island of Yangshan. In order to withstand the typhoons that are typical for these places, the bridge is built in the shape of the letter "S". Although the bridge is already operational, its construction is ongoing and is scheduled to be completed by 2010.

6. Chenyang Bridge

This Chinese bridge is at least five hundred years old. Such bridges with roofs from the sun, rain and wind are called Fengyuqiao. These roofs also extend the life of the wooden structure. The bridge was built without a single nail - and this alone makes it a miracle in the history of bridge building. The Chenyangfenyuqiao Bridge in Maanzhai Village, Chenyang Village, Lingxi Township, Sanjiang Zhuang Autonomous County, Guangxi Province is also called the Yongjiqiao Bridge. This beamed, wooden bridge with a rain-proof roof was built by a Zhuang craftsman. This bridge has gazebos connected by corridors with benches where you can relax and hide from rain and wind. It is both a bridge building masterpiece and an architectural masterpiece of the Zhuanzu nationality.

7. OldBridge (Starimost, Bosnia)

This unique bridge in Bosnia was built in the 16th century during the period of Turkish rule. Its author was a student of the famous Ottoman architect Sinan. As in the 16th century, this bridge connects the two banks of the Neretva River in the city of Mostar, on one of them live Croats, on the other - Muslims. In 1993, the bridge was blown up during the civil war and completely destroyed. The new bridge was built for almost seven years and became an exact copy of the destroyed one. At the same time, the same methods and materials were used as in the 16th century. The most difficult work was entrusted to craftsmen. And although there is no friendship between the two banks to this day - that is why NATO helicopters still fly over the city, and NATO patrol cars drive around the city - I want to believe that this bridge, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, will be able to build a "bridge of friendship" between people who have spent too many years fighting.

8. Oresund Bridge

This bridge is comparable in importance, perhaps, only with the tunnel under the Channel. His project was hatched for more than a hundred years, but was completed only by 2000 - it took seven years to build. The bridge connects Denmark with an artificial island belonging to Sweden, from where a 4-kilometer tunnel leads further to Sweden. The length of the bridge itself is 8 kilometers. These are not cheap 8 kilometers - the fare costs 275 SEK (approximately 60-65 dollars). Another “surprise” awaits those traveling from Sweden to Europe via Denmark: quite soon, another bridge will come across on the way, for which you will have to pay 200 SEK. But in Denmark, stunningly beautiful sunsets.

Dam Bridge over Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

It is difficult to call this bridge, which is supported by 9,000 concrete piles, beautiful or even attractive. But it has another advantage - it is the longest bridge in the world, it is located in Louisiana, USA. The bridge consists of two parallel roads, the longest of which is 38.41 km long. The bridge connects the towns of Metairie and Mandeville, located on opposite shores of Lake Pontchartrain.

10. Golden Gate Bridge

This is a suspension bridge across the Golden Gate Strait. It connects the city of San Francisco in the north of the San Francisco Peninsula and the southern part of Marin County, near the suburb of Sausalito. The Golden Gate Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world from its opening in 1937 until 1964. The length of the bridge is 1970 meters, the length of the main span is 1280 meters, the height of the supports is 230 meters above the water. From the carriageway to the surface of the water - 67 meters. The bridge is infamous as the Suicide Bridge. On average, every two weeks someone commits suicide there. For more than seven decades of its existence, according to unofficial data, more than 1,300 people committed suicide by throwing themselves into the water, of all those who jumped, only 26 managed to survive, but their condition cannot be called enviable. The bridge is patrolled by the local police, but not always successfully.

11. Rialto Bridge

This bridge in Venice over the Grand Canal, which is based on 12,000 piles driven into the bottom of the lagoon, is the very first and most ancient bridge over the canal. It was originally made of wood. In 1444, the bridge collapsed, rebuilt again from wood, it acquired a built-in mechanism that allowed the bridge to be raised for the passage of ships. When the movable parts of the bridge also collapsed, it was decided to build a stone bridge, and it was ready by 1592 - and since then it has not been rebuilt. And until 1854 it was the only bridge across the canal. It consists of only one arch 28 meters long, its maximum height in the center is 7.5 meters. There are 24 shops on the bridge, separated in the center by two arches. This is a unique monument of history.

12. Ponte Vecchio Bridge

This is the most ancient bridge of the city of Florence - the only one of the 10 ancient bridges of the city that has retained its original appearance, which it acquired back in 1345. Three previous bridges had collapsed by that time, the first of them was built in the days of the ancient Roman Empire. Above the buildings is the Vasari Corridor, named after the architect who created it specifically so that Cosimo I de Medici, Duke of Tuscany (1519 -1574) could safely pass from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace. Since the 16th century, jewelry shops and workshops have been located here.

13. Ironbridge Gorge Bridge

This is the world's first steel bridge built near Birmingham, known as a symbol of the industrial revolution, which is characterized by all the elements of the progress of the 18th century. It appeared due to a temporary drop in demand for the metal. The owner of an ironworks was forced to look for new areas for the application of his products. The bridge, designed by engineer Abraham Berg, was built by 1779 from a single metal block with an arched span of 27.5 meters and became a revolution in bridge building. Today this bridge is one of the "icons" of England.

14. Brooklyn Bridge

One of the most famous bridges in the world, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Its length is 1825 meters, it crosses the East River and connects Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City. At the time of completion, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first bridge to use steel bars in its construction. The bridge is used for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic - along it is divided into three parts. The side lanes are used by cars, while the middle lane, at a considerable elevation, is used by pedestrians and cyclists.

15.

Tower Bridge

This is probably the most recognizable bridge in the world - a drawbridge in the center of London over the River Thames, not far from the Tower of London, a symbol of the city. It was opened in 1894. And since then, just like the Golden Gate Bridge, it has attracted suicides - for this reason, the upper tier of the Tower Bridge is closed. But on the other hand, modern illumination makes it look like a fabulous building at night.

bridge of lovers

Moscow also has its own special bridge. Although officially called the Andreevsky Bridge, its popular name is the “Bridge of Lovers”. He has a very interesting biography. Once it was a railway bridge, which was moved downstream in 1999 - it interfered with the construction of the Third Transport Ring - and reconstructed into a pedestrian bridge that connected Neskuchny Garden with Frunzenskaya Embankment. The old and new parts of the building are painted in different colors and therefore they can be distinguished from each other. It has open parts, and there are also covered with a glass roof. From the bridge you can see the Andreevsky Monastery, Moscow State University on Sparrow Hills, the new building of the Academy of Sciences.

The newlyweds have a belief - you need to move the bride across the bridge - and the marriage will be happy. But the length of the bridge is decent - 135 meters. Therefore, the traditions were finalized - at first it was necessary to carry the bride over this bridge at least a little. And quite recently, a Tree of Love was placed in the middle of the bridge - now the bride can not be carried in her arms, the main thing on the wedding day is to hang a lock on the tree, and throw the key into the water - so that no one finds and unlocks it. It may not look very serious, but it lifts the mood on the wedding day.

List of used literature

1. Brief historical outline of the development of suspension and cable-stayed bridges. Bakhtin S.A., Ovchinnikov I.G., Inamov R.R.

2. Hanging and cable-stayed bridges. Design, calculation, design features: Proc. allowance.

3. Tsaplin S. A., Suspension bridges, M., 1949; Road Engineer's Handbook, [vol. 6], M., 1964

4. Magazine "World of metal", Evgeny Ignatiev.

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