The Golden Gate Bridge Essay -- Construction Bridges Engineering Essay

The Golden Gate Bridge Since the dawn of time, man has had an inherent need to get to the other side. Rivers, canyons, and impassable trails have always hindered the migration of man, leaving him the choice to continue no further, or to â€Å"build a bridge and get over it.† The earliest bridges were made of simple materials such as stone, or even a fallen log. Regardless of the material, natural bridges allowed man to explore the â€Å"other side.† However, man has never been satisfied with what nature gives him. Over time, man developed the ability to construct his own bridges in order to create a shortcut across an otherwise impassable obstacle. The first man-made bridges consisted of wooden beams or stone arches. With each bridge, he added improvements such as cables for stability or larger abutments to support a larger load. Eventually, man entered the age of steel. Steel truss beams coupled with steel cables increased bridge spans considerably and allowed for a larger weight ca pacity. Now man was crossing distances only boats had taken people before. Various bridge styles also developed. Suspension, cable-stayed, steel arch, steel truss, and reinforced concrete arch bridges are all modern types of bridges, each with its own usefulness and design. The longest and most recognizable bridge type is the suspension bridge. These structures can span distances from 2000 to 7000 feet. As its name dictates, a suspension bridge suspends the roadway from heavy steel cables that run from one length of the bridge to the other. The cables are then fastened at large concrete anchorages at each end. Arguably the most well known suspension bridge is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. While actual constructi... ...pring96/lui.html (November 9, 2004). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] http://www.americahurrah.com/SanFrancisco/GoldenGateBridge/4-SanFranciscoTower.htm [2] http://www.americahurrah.com/SanFrancisco/GoldenGateBridge/6-CableSpinning.htm [3] http://www.americahurrah.com/SanFrancisco/GoldenGateBridge/7-Roadway.htm [4] http://www.goldengatebridge.org/research/factsGGBDesign.html#ConcreteQuantities [5] http://www.sightseeingworld.com/SanFrancisco/goldengatebridge.htm [6] http://www.goldengatebridge.org/research/factsGGBLighting.html [7] http://www.sdsc.edu/GatherScatter/GSspring96/lui.html#list [8] http://www.goldengatebridge.org/research/factsGGBIntOrngPaint.html [9] http://www.goldengatebridge.org/research/majggbimprove.html [10] http://www.goldengatebridge.org/research/GGBTraffToll.html