A

• ¶Abutment

  The ground end-support of a bridge, especially to resist the horizontal thrust of an arch.

• ¶Aqueduct

  A structure carrying water over a river or depression, especially in regards to ancient aqueducts.

• ¶Arch

  Curved spanning structure capable of supporting the weight of superimposed loads. More information.

• ¶Archring

  The vertical face or edge of an arch showing on the elevation of a bridge.

• ¶Ashlar

  Large squared blocks of stone. Also frequently used for cut-stone masonry.

• ¶Ashlar Masonry

  Stone masonry composed of blocks cut to regular size, generally rectangular, laid in courses of uniform height.

• ¶Asphalt

  A bituminous material employed for covering roofs, filling between paving blocks, forming surfaces of roads, etc.

• ¶Asymmetric

  Having no balance or symmetry.

B

• ¶Ballast

  Gravel, broken stone, slag, or other road material put between the ties of a railroad to prevent them from slipping and to give solidity to the road.

• ¶Baluster

  A short post or pillar in a series supporting a rail or coping and thus forming a balustrade.

• ¶Balustrade

  A row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open parapet, as along the edge of a balcony, terrace, bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building.

• ¶Bascule

  A bridge with a movable section hinged about a horizontal axis and counterbalanced by a weight.

• ¶Beam

  A rigid flat, usually horizontal structure member which supports loads and transfers them to its supports by bending resistance.

• ¶Bearing

  The angular position of a line referred to a meridian. The support for a shaft, axle, or trunnion. The shoes for ‘a span. The resistance to crushing as offered by a member. The pressure transferred from one member to another. The capacity of a pile to carry load. The support for a beam, pin, bolt, or rivet.

• ¶Bedrock

  The solid rock that underlies loose material, such as soil, sand, clay, or gravel.

• ¶Bore

  To make a hole in any material by cutting away a part of it. To drill. The calibre, or internal diameter, of a hole, tube, or pipe.

• ¶Box girder

  A beam with a hollow square or rectangular section.

• ¶Brace

  Generally a strut supporting or fixing in position another member. Sometimes the term is applied to a tie used for such a purpose. The permanent part of a small tool used for boring.

• ¶Buttress

  A structure built against a wall or building to provide support or reinforcement.

C

• ¶Cable Stayed

  A type of suspension bridge in which the supporting cables are connected directly to the bridge deck without the use of suspenders.

• ¶Caisson

  ​A bridge foundation comprising a watertight open topped box, usually made of timber, embedded in a riverbed by continuously digging out material within it so that the caisson sinks and becomes an integral part of the structure.

• ¶Calp Limestone

  Calp Limestone is comprised of dark grey, fine-grained, graded limestone with interbedded black, poorly fossilised shales.

• ¶Camber

  The upward curvature of a span above its nominal position.

• ¶Cantilever

  A beam or member securely fixed at one end and hanging free at the other end.

• ¶Capping

  A general term for a series of caps in a structure. Putting a timber cap on a row of piles.

• ¶Capstone

  The uppermost or finishing stone of a masonry structure.

• ¶Carriage

  Any part of a machine that carries another part. A drain. The timber frame which supports the steps of a wooden stair.

• ¶Cast iron

  A brittle alloy with high carbon content: high compressive strength, low tensile strength.

• ¶Casting

  The act or process of founding. That which has been cast by pouring molten metal into a mould.

• ¶Catenary

  A curve formed by a wire, rope, or chain hanging freely from two points that are not in the same vertical line.

• ¶Chamfer

  A flat surface made by cutting off the edge or corner of a block of wood or other material.

• ¶Cladding

  The outer, usually non-loadbearing, surface of a structure.

• ¶Cleat

  A piece of wood or iron with projecting prongs, used for belaying or winding ropes on so as to make them fast.

• ¶Cofferdam

  A watertight structure allowing underwater foundations to be built in the dry.

• ¶Composite

  Fibre Reinforced Polymer composites are engineered materials with their strength dependent on several factors such as fiber type and volume, fiber orientation, resin type, manufacturing method, and the bonding materials used in the final assembly. Bridges manufactured with composites are increasingly being considered as an alternative to concrete and steel.

• ¶Concrete

  An artificial stone made by mixing some cementing material with an aggregate composed of hard, inert particles of varying size. Usually the cementing material is Portland cement, and the hard, inert particles are sand and broken stone, water being added to make the cement active.

• ¶Coping

  A capping or covering to a parapet either flat or sloping to throw off water.

• ¶Corbel

  A small shelf cantilevered out from a beam, wall, or column in order to support a beam or a super-incumbent load.

• ¶Cornice

  Any projecting moulding along the top of a building, wall, arch etc., finishing or crowning it.

• ¶Counterweight

  A weight used as a counterbalance.

• ¶Course

  A horizontal layer of stone in a masonry wall, or of a pavement.

• ¶Cross-bracing

  ​Also referred to as “X-Bracing”: is any system of bracing in which the diagonals intersect.

• ¶Cross-frame

  A transverse bracing frame between stringers. Also termed a “Buck Brace.”

• ¶Cross-girder

  Any girder passing across a bridge from one truss or main girder to another, and, generally, perpendicular to the truss or girder planes.

• ¶Cross-section

  A section made by a secant plane perpendicular to the axis of the member, structure, or any construction.

• ¶Crown

  ​The highest point of an arch.

• ¶Cruciform

  Cross-shaped.

• ¶Curvilinear

  ​Consisting of or bounded by curved lines.

• ¶Cutwater

  The wedge of a bridge pier, that resists the flow of water and ice.

D

• ¶Dado

  The lower part of a wall marked by a moulding and often of a different surface.

• ¶Deck

  The floor of a roadway or bridge.

• ¶Dovetail

  A fan-shaped tenon that forms a tight interlocking joint when fitted into a corresponding mortise.

• ¶Dowel

  A straight pin of wood or metal driven part way into each of the two faces which it unites. Also called a dowel-pin.

• ¶Drawbridge

  A bridge that may be drawn or turned to one side, or lifted up, either bodily or in sections, so as to permit boats to pass under or through it.

E

• ¶Ellipse

  A curve where the sums of the distances of each point in its periphery from two fixed points, the foci, are equal.

• ¶Elliptical Arch

  An arch constructed in the form of a semi-ellipse.

F

• ¶Fabrication

  To construct by combining or assembling diverse, typically standardized parts.

• ¶Falsework

  Falsework consists of temporary structures used in construction to support spanning or arched structures in order to hold the component in place until its construction is sufficiently advanced to support itself.

• ¶Flange

  One of the principal longitudinal members of a girder which resist tension or compression, also sometimes called the upper and lower chords of a beam. A projecting edge, rim, or rib on anything.

• ¶Foot Bridge

  A bridge for foot passengers only.

• ¶Footing

  The spreading course at the base of a foundation.

• ¶Formwork

  Temporary boarding or sheets of wood used to give shape to poured concrete while it hardens.

• ¶Foundation

  That portion of a structure, usually below the surface of the ground, which distributes the pressure upon its support.

G

• ¶Gangway

  A temporary passageway used during construction.

• ¶Girder

  A large beam usually steel or concrete.

• ¶Gradient

  A rate of inclination; a slope.

• ¶Granite

  A rock composed of mica, feldspar, and quartz with a thoroughly crystalline, granular texture.

• ¶Gyrate

  To revolve about an axis or a point.

H

• ¶H-Piles

  H-Piles are dimensionally square structural beams that are driven in the ground for deep foundation applications.

• ¶Haunching

  Material used for filling the part of an arch between its springing and its crown.

• ¶Hydraulics

  A branch of the science of the mechanics of fluids which treats of water in motion.

I

• ¶I-Beam

  A rolled structural shape having a cross-section resembling the letter “I.”

• ¶Impost

  The point where an arch rests on a wall or column, or the upper part of a pier from which an arch springs.

• ¶Interlocking

  The action of linking into each other, or the joining fast together by mutual or reciprocal action.

• ¶Iron

  A common but important and abundant metal having a specific gravity of about eight. The pure metal has a white, lustrous appearance, does not harden appreciably on quenching, and is strongly attracted by a magnet, although it cannot be made magnetic except when containing carbon, or while an electric current is passed around it. The term is often applied to a tool or utensil made of iron. Also applied to various structural shapes.

• ¶Ironwork

  Any construction using iron members.

J

K

• ¶Keystone

  The centre or highest voussoir or arch stone.

L

• ¶Lattice

  A lattice girder is a type of girder with a criss-crossed web design between the two edges of the girder.

• ¶Limestone

  A rock of sedimentary origin consisting largely of calcium carbonate (CaC03).

• ¶Lug

  Any kind of a projection for carrying or supporting something.

M

• ¶Masonry

  A general term applied to structures made of stone, brick, or concrete. More information.

• ¶Mass Concrete

  Concrete set without structural reinforcement.

• ¶Microprocessor

  A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit (IC, or microchip).

• ¶Mortar

  A mixture of cement or lime with sand and water forming a thick paste, used in masonry work for bedding the stones and filling the joints.

N

O

• ¶Openwork

  Any kind of work, especially ornamental, as of embroidery, lace, metal, stone, or wood, having a lattice like nature or showing openings through its substance.

• ¶Oval

  A closed curve, everywhere convex, without nodes or cusps and having sharper curvature at one end than at the other.

P

• ¶Parapet

  A low wall, placed to protect any spot where there is a sudden drop i.e. at the edge of a bridge.

• ¶Pedestrian Bridge

  A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists and animal traffic.

• ¶Pier

  The support between two arches.

• ¶Pile

  A length of timber, steel, reinforced concrete etc., driven into the ground to carry a vertical load.

• ¶Piling

  A general term for a number of piles taken together.

• ¶Pin

  A round bar of steel used for connecting members of a truss. Also any round bar which fills a hole. A pivot.

• ¶Pivot

  A short rod or shaft on which a related part rotates or swings.

• ¶Pivot Pier

  The pier supporting a swing span and upon which it turns.

• ¶Plate

  A flat piece of metal or wood.

• ¶Plinth

  The base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, pier or other structure rests.

• ¶Pontoon

  A boat or light float. A metal cylinder closed at both ends for floating. A floating bridge.

• ¶Post tension

  The method of making prestressed concrete with steel strands tightened after the concrete has hardened.

• ¶Pre-stressed concrete

  A modern type of concrete with stretched steel strands embedded in it to impart additional tensile strength.

• ¶Precast

  Relating to or being a structural member, especially of concrete, that has been cast into form before being transported to its site of installation.

• ¶Prefabricate

  To manufacture (a bridge or section of a bridge, for example) in advance, especially in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled.

• ¶Pylon

  A steel tower supporting high-tension wires.

Q

R

• ¶Reinforced Concrete

  Concrete containing reinforcing steel rods or wire mesh to enhance its strength in tension.

• ¶Rib

  An extra and external portion of a body giving it additional strength and stiffness. The truss or girder of an arch bridge.

• ¶Rock Anchor

  A steel rod anchored in rock by screwing or grouting to hold temporary shoring or retaining walls.

• ¶Roll moulding

  Medieval moulding of semicircular or more than semi-circular section.

• ¶Rustication

  Masonry with recessed joints and usually a roughened surface.

S

• ¶Sandstone

  A rock formed by the consolidation of sand.

• ¶Section

  The trace on a secant plane made by the object cut. Sometimes improperly used for a member or segment thereof.

• ¶Segmental Arch

  A circular arch in which the intrados is less than a semi-circle.

• ¶Shaft

  A well-like opening, nearly or quite vertical, in cribs and caissons; used for hoisting material through or for the passage of workmen. A long, cylindrical bar capable of rotating and transmitting torque.

• ¶Sheet Pile

  A pile, usually made of timber or steel, driven edge to edge to form an almost watertight sheet as used in the construction of cofferdams.

• ¶Shield

  A bulkhead or contrivance to protect workmen and property, used in certain classes of underground work.

• ¶Skewback

  The beveled stone, iron plate, or course of masonry which supports the foot of an arch ring. Also the casting on the end of a trussed girder to which the tension rod is attached.

• ¶Soffit

  The under-surface of any piece of structure.

• ¶Span

  Clear distance from face to face of supports.

• ¶Spandrel

  The space from abutment to abutment in an arch bridge extending from the top of the arch masonry to the top of the roadway.

• ¶Spoke Wheel

  A wheel having spokes instead of a solid web.

• ¶Springing

  The point where the end of an arch meets the abutment.

• ¶Steel

  An alloy of iron with more carbon than wrought iron but less than cast iron, combining the tensile strength of the former with the compressive strength of the latter. More information.

• ¶Stone

  A small piece of rock. A piece of rock hewn or shaped for specific use. More information.

• ¶Stress

  An internal distributed force that resists the change in shape and size of a body subjected to external forces.

• ¶Superstructure

  The upper part of a bridge, excluding the foundations, piers and abutments (called substructure).

• ¶Suspension Bridge

  A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (the load-bearing portion) is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. More Information

• ¶Swing Bridge or Swivel Bridge

  A span that rotates about a vertical axis, so as to provide openings for the passage of vessels.

• ¶Symmetry

  A condition of equality or balance of shape, size, and position between similar parts of a figure or body about a central axis.

T

• ¶Taper

  To diminish in section regularly and gradually.

• ¶Tensile Strength

  The ability of a material to withstand tension.

• ¶Tension Rod

  Any rod subjected to tension.

• ¶Thrust

  Outward or lateral stress in a structure, as that exerted by an arch or vault.

• ¶Timber

  Timber was probably the first material used by humans to construct a bridge because of it’s strength, light weight, and energy-absorbing properties. More information.

• ¶Timber Centering

  ​Wooden frame used to support either an existing arch or the construction of a new one.

• ¶Transverse

  Extending across. Crosswise direction.

• ¶Traveller

  A form of derrick mounted on wheels, used in the erection of bridges.

• ¶Trestle

  A trestle (sometimes tressel) is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent.

• ¶Truss

  A truss bridge is a frame where definite parts are designed to act in tension while other parts act in compression. More information.

U

V

• ¶Vermiculation

  Masonry which is carved with shallow curling channels like worm tracks.

• ¶Viaduct

  A viaduct is a bridge which carries a road or a railway over a valley or low lying ground.

• ¶Voussoir

  A brick or wedge-shaped stone forming one of the units of an arch.

W

• ¶Web

  The portion of a truss or girder between and connecting the flanges, its function being principally to resist shear.

• ¶Windlass

  The windlass is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder (barrel), which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt.

• ¶Wrought Iron

  Soft and malleable alloy with very low carbon content; low compressive strength but high tensile strength.

X

Y

Z