Forces On A Suspension Bridge

Forces On A Suspension Bridge .

Forces on a Suspension Bridge

Learning Objectives / Experiments of Forces on a Suspension Bridge

• Familiarisation with a suspension bridge
• under dead-weight
• under additional load
• under evenly distributed load
• under unevenly distributed point loads
• Calculation of the supporting cable force
• Comparison between calculated and measured values of the supporting cable force
• Observation of the effect of internal moments in the  roadway under uneven load
• Load distribution between roadway support and  supporting cable

Specification of Forces on a Suspension Bridge

• Investigation of a suspension bridge in various load cases
• Suspension bridge with 2 supporting cables and roadway
• Supporting cables with parabolic sag
• Hangers (vertical supporting cables) in the form of U-shaped shackles in graduated lengths
• Two-section roadway with central hinge
• Roadway can be loaded by additional weights
• Hinge in roadway indicates internal moments of roadway under uneven loading
• 4 graduated weight sets to measure the cable force in both supporting cables
• 2 supports with force gauge for the roadway
• Storage system to house the components

Technical Data of Forces on a Suspension Bridge

• Suspension bridge
• Span: approx. 1050mm
• Supporting cable sag: approx. 325mm
• Number of supporting cables: 2
• Shackles: 12, graduated lengths
• Dead-weight of roadway: 6N
• Support force measuring range: -50...+50N

Weight set

• 4x 1N (hangers), 16x 1N 
• 16x 5N