A
abrasion
abutment
aggradation
aggregate
alignment
alloy
anchorage
anchor bolt
anchor span
angle
anisotropy
anode
anti-friction bearing
appraisal rating
approach slab
apron
arch
arch barrel
arch rib
armor
asphalt
ASTM
axial
axle load
B
back
backfill
backstay
backwall
bank
bascule bridge
base metal
base plate
batter
battered pile
bay
beam
bearing
bearing capacity
bearing failure
bearing pile
bearing pressure
bearing seat
bearing stiffener
bearing stress
bedding
bed rock
bench mark
bending moment
bent
berm
bevelled washer
bituminous
blanket
bolt
bolster
bond
bond stress
bowstring truss
box beam
box culvert
bracing
bracket
breastwall
bridge
bridge deficiency
bridge pad
bridge site
bridging
brush curb
buckle
built-up member
bulkhead
buoyancy
buried pipe
buttress
buttressed wall
butt weld
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abrasion - wearing or grinding away of material by water laden with sand, gravel, or stones
abutment - a substructure supporting the end of a single span or the extreme end of a multispan superstructure and, in general, retaining or supporting the approach embankment
aggradation - general and progressive raising of the streambed by deposition of sediment
aggregate - the sand, gravel, or broken stone with which a cementing material is mixed to form a mortar or concrete
alignment - the relative horizontal and vertical positioning between the bridge and approaches
alloy - a mixture of two or more metals to form a new base metal
anchorage - the complete assemblage of members and parts, designed to hold in correct position a portion or part of a structure
anchor bolt - a shaft-like piece of metal commonly threaded and fitted with a nut and washer at one end only, used to secure in a fixed position upon the substructure the bearings of a bridge, the base of a column, a pedestal, shoe, or other member of a structure
anchor span - the span which counterbalances and holds in equilibrium the fully cantilevered portion of an adjacent span; see CANTILEVER BEAM, GIRDER, or TRUSS
angle - a basic member shaped like an L, usually made of steel
anisotropy - the property of some materials, such as wood, exhibiting different strengths in different directions
anode - the positively charged pole of a corrosion cell at which oxidations occurs
anti-friction bearing - a ball or
roller-type bearing; a bearing that does not resist horizontal or frictional loads
appraisal rating - a judgment of a bridge component condition in comparison to current standards
approach slab - a reinforced concrete slab placed on the approach embankment adjacent to and usually resting upon the abutment back wall; the function of the approach slab is to carry wheel loads on the approaches directly to the abutment, thereby eliminating any approach roadway misalignment due to approach embankment settlement
apron - a form of scour protection consisting of timber, concrete, riprap, paving, or other construction placed adjacent to abutments and piers to prevent undermining
arch - a curved structure element primarily in compression, producing at its supports reactions having both vertical and horizontal components
arch barrel - a single arch member that extends the width of the structure
arch rib - the main support element used in open spandrel arch construction; also known as arch ring
armor - a secondary steel member installed to protect a vulnerable part of another member, e.g., steel angles placed over the edges of a joint
asphalt - black surface material made from mineral hydrocarbons containing petroleum; the distinction between asphalt and bitumen is mainly chemical, in that asphalt is for solid surfacing and bitumen is a liquid suitable for coating aggregates
ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials
axial - in line with the centroid of the area
axle load - the load borne by one axle of a traffic vehicle, a movable bridge, or other motive equipment or device and transmitted through a wheel or wheels
back - see EXTRADOS
backfill - material, usually soil used to fill the unoccupied portion of a substructure excavation
backstay - cable or chain attached at the top of a tower and extending to and secured upon the anchorage to resist overturning stresses exerted upon the tower by a suspended span
backwall - the topmost portion of an abutment above the elevation of the bridge seat, functioning primarily as a retaining wall with a live load surcharge; it may serve also as a support for the extreme end of the bridge deck and the approach slab
backwater - the water upstream from an obstruction in which the free surface is elevated above the normal water surface profile
bank - sloped sides of a waterway channel or approach roadway, short for embankment
bascule bridge - a bridge over a waterway with one or two leaves which rotate from a horizontal to a
near-vertical position, providing unlimited clear headway
base metal - the surface metal of a steel element to be incorporated in a welded joint; also known as structure metal, parent metal
base plate - a rectangular slab of steel, whether cast, rolled or forged, connected to a column, bearing or other member to transmit and distribute its load to the substructure
batten plate - a plate used in lieu of lacing to tie together the shapes comprising a
built-up member
batter - the inclination of a surface in relation to a horizontal or a vertical plane; commonly designated on bridge detail plans as so many feet to one foot; see RAKE
battered pile - a pile driven in an inclined position to resist horizontal forces as well as vertical forces
bay - the area of a bridge floor system between adjacent multibeams or between adjacent floor beams
beam - a linear structural member designed to span from one support to another
bearing - a support element transferring loads from superstructure to substructure while permitting limited movement capability
bearing capacity - the load per unit area which a structural material, rock, or soil can safely carry
bearing failure - a crushing of material under extreme compressive load
bearing pile - a pile which provides support through the tip (or lower end) of the pile
bearing pressure - the bearing load divided by the area to which it is applied
bearing seat - a prepared horizontal surface at or near the top of a substructure unit upon which the bearings are placed
bearing stiffener - a vertical web stiffener at the bearing location
bearing stress - see BEARING PRESSURE
bedding - the soil or backfill material used to support pipe culverts
bed rock - the undisturbed hard rock layer below the surface of the soil
bench mark - an established reference point used to document dimensions, elevations and movement
bending moment - the internal force within a beam which causes a bending effect
bent - a substructure unit made up of two or more column or
column-like members connected at their top-most ends by a cap, strut, or other member holding them in their correct positions
berm - the line which defines the location where the top surface of an approach embankment or causeway is intersected by the surface of the side slope
bevelled washer - a wedge-shaped washer used in connections involving members with sloped flange legs, e.g. channels and
S-beams
bituminous - a black sticky mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from natural deposits or from distilling petroleum
blanket - a stream bed protection against scour placed adjacent to abutments and piers
bolt - a mechanical fastener with machine threads at one end to receive a nut, and a hexagonal head at the other end
bolster - a block-like member used to support a bearing on top of a pier cap or abutment bridge seat; see PEDESTAL
bond - in reinforced concrete, the grip of the concrete on the reinforcing bars, thereby preventing slippage of the bars
bond stress - a term commonly applied in reinforced concrete construction to the stress developed by the force tending to produce movement or slippage at the interface between the concrete and the reinforcement bars
bowstring truss - a general term applied to a truss of any type having a polygonal arrangement of its top chord members conforming to or nearly conforming to the arrangement required for a parabolic truss
box beam - a hollow structural beam with a square, rectangular, or trapezoidal
cross-section
box culvert - a culvert of rectangular or square
cross-section
bracing - a system of secondary members that maintain the geometric configuration of primary members
bracket - a projecting support fixed upon two intersecting members to strengthen and provide rigidity to the connection
breastwall - the portion of an abutment between the wings and beneath the bridge seat; the breast wall supports the superstructure loads, and retains the approach fill; see STEM
bridge - a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, or the like
bridge deficiency - a defect in a bridge component or member that makes the bridge less capable or less desirable for use
bridge pad - the raised, leveled area upon which the pedestal, masonry plate or other corresponding element of the superstructure takes bearing by contact; also called bridge seat bearing area
bridge seat - the top surface of an abutment or pier upon which the superstructure span is placed and supported; for an abutment it is the surface forming the support for the superstructure and from which the backwall rises; for a pier it is the entire top surface
bridge site - the selected position or location of a bridge and its surrounding area
bridging - a carpentry term applied to the
cross-bracing fastened between timber beams to increase the rigidity of the floor construction, distribute more uniformly the live load and minimize the effects of impact and vibration
brush curb - a narrow curb, 9 inches or less in width, which prevents a vehicle from brushing against the railing or parapet
buckle - to fail by an inelastic change in alignment as a result of compression
built-up member - a column or beam composed of plates and angles or other structural shapes united by bolting, riveting or welding
bulkhead - a retaining wall-like structure commonly composed of driven piles supporting a wall or a barrier of wooden timbers or reinforced concrete members
buoyancy - upward pressure exerted by the fluid in which an object is immersed
buried pipe - a subsurface structure that incorporates both the strength properties of the pipe and the support properties of the soil surrounding the pipe
buttress - a bracket-like wall, of full or partial height, projecting from another wall; the buttress strengthens and stiffens the wall against overturning forces; all parts of a buttress act in compression
buttressed wall - a retaining wall designed with projecting buttresses to provide strength and stability
butt weld - a weld joining two abutting surfaces by combining weld metal and base metal within an intervening space |