Bridge

:This article is about the edifice (it is mostly an index to articles concerning specific bridge types). For other meanings, see bridge (disambiguation).

History

The first bridges were spans made of wooden logs or planks and eventually stones, using a simple support and crossbeam arrangement.

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The arch was first used by the Roman Empire for bridges and aqueducts, some of which still stand today. The Romans also had cement, which reduced the variation of strength found in natural stone. Brick and mortar bridges were built after the Roman era, as the technology for cement was lost then later rediscovered.

Related Topics:
Arch - Roman Empire - Aqueduct - Cement - Brick - Mortar

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Rope bridges, a simple type of suspension bridge, were used by the Inca civilization in the Andes mountains of South America, just prior to European colonization in the 1500s.

Related Topics:
Rope bridge - Inca - Andes - South America

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During the 18th century there were many innovations in the design of timber bridges by Hans Ulrich, Johannes Grubenmann, and others. The first engineering book on building bridges was written by Hubert Gautier in 1716.

Related Topics:
18th century - Design - Timber - Hans Ulrich - Johannes Grubenmann - Hubert Gautier

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With the rise of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, truss systems of wrought iron were developed for larger bridges, but iron did not have the tensile strength to support large loads. With the advent of steel, which has a high tensile strength, much larger bridges were built, many using the ideas of Gustave Eiffel.

Related Topics:
Industrial Revolution - 19th century - Truss - Wrought iron - Iron - Tensile - Load - Steel - Gustave Eiffel

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