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A deck is the surface of a bridge. A structural element of its
A
Composite Bridge Decking: Final Project Report
A deck is the surface of a bridge. A structural element of its superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstru ...
, it may be constructed of concrete, steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant t ...
, open grating, or wood. Sometimes the deck is covered by a railroad bed and track, asphalt concrete
Asphalt concrete (commonly called asphalt, blacktop, or pavement in North America, and tarmac, bitumen macadam, or rolled asphalt in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) is a composite material commonly used to surface roads, parking ...
, or other form of pavement for ease of vehicle crossing. A concrete deck may be an integral part of the bridge structure (T-beam
A T-beam (or tee beam), used in construction, is a load-bearing structure of reinforced concrete, wood or metal, with a -shaped cross section. The top of the -shaped cross section serves as a flange or compression member in resisting compress ...
or double tee structure) or it may be supported with I-beam
An I-beam, also known as H-beam (for universal column, UC), w-beam (for "wide flange"), universal beam (UB), rolled steel joist (RSJ), or double-T (especially in Polish, Bulgarian, Spanish, Italian and German), is a beam with an or -shaped ...
s or steel girder
A girder () is a support beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a stabilizing ...
s.
When a bridge deck is installed in a through truss, it is sometimes called a floor system. A suspended bridge deck will be suspended from the main structural elements on a suspension or arch bridge. On some bridges, such as a tied-arch or a cable-stayed
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...
, the deck is a primary structural element Structural elements are used in structural analysis to split a complex structure into simple elements. Within a structure, an element cannot be broken down (decomposed) into parts of different kinds (e.g., beam or column).
Structural elements can b ...
, carrying tension or compression to support the span.
A deck bridge is one in which the deck itself is the main structural element, itself carrying the roadway. Contrast to a truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, o ...
which may carry a deck on the top chords or bottom chords of a structural truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembla ...
.
Structural analysis
Structural engineers
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of safety, technical, economi ...
have several principal categories of bridge decks, for the purposes of analytic techniques. A ''beam deck'' is one where the deck and any supporting structure act together as a single beam. A ''grid deck'' uses beams and diaphragms as the supporting structure. The supporting system of a grid deck is analyzed using a grillage analysis. A ''slab deck'' is one where the deck is analyzed as a plate. If the slab has a stiffness that is different in two directions (at right angles), then the deck is known and analyzed as an orthotropic deck
An orthotropic bridge or orthotropic deck is typically one whose fabricated deck consists of a structural steel deck plate stiffened either longitudinally with ribs or transversely, or in both directions. This allows the fabricated deck both t ...
. A ''beam and slab deck'' is one where the beams may deflect somewhat independently, and any transverse forces are carried in the deck. A ''cellular deck'' is one where a number of thin slabs and webs will enclose cells within the deck. A ''boxgirder deck'' is one where the deck forms the top of the box girder during analysis.
Railway bridge decks
A railway bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...
with its track and ties TIES may refer to:
* TIES, Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science
* TIES, The Interactive Encyclopedia System
* TIES, Time Independent Escape Sequence The Time Independent Escape Sequence, or TIES, is a modem protocol standard invented to avo ...
supported on load carrying elements of the superstructure (floor beams, stringer
Stringer may refer to:
Structural elements
* Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened
* Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal
* Stringer (stairs), ...
s or girder
A girder () is a support beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a stabilizing ...
s) is called an ''open deck''. When the track rests upon ballast
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship ...
, which is then carried by the superstructure of the bridge, it is called a ''ballasted deck''. The term ''direct fixation'' is used when the rails are anchored directly to the superstructure of the bridge.
See also
* Bridge - for a visual index of various bridge types *Bridge bearing
A bridge bearing is a component of a bridge which typically provides a resting surface between bridge piers and the bridge deck. The purpose of a bearing is to allow controlled movement and thereby reduce the stresses involved. Possible causes of ...
* Freeway lid
* Orthotropic deck
An orthotropic bridge or orthotropic deck is typically one whose fabricated deck consists of a structural steel deck plate stiffened either longitudinally with ribs or transversely, or in both directions. This allows the fabricated deck both t ...
* Roadbed types
References
External links
Composite Bridge Decking: Final Project Report
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
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Civil engineering
Bridge components