Truss Bridges

In the beginning of the industrial revolution beam bridge construction was developing rapidly and designers were coming up with more ideas to design the bridges and install metal bridges. One of the beam bridges was designed by William Howe 1840.

This is a photo of a Howe truss somewhere in Colorado, taken in 1870.

Suspension Bridges

The force of compression on a suspension bridge releases the pressure on top of the bridge and translates the pressure to the tower, and from there it compresses to the beam where the main supports are. The tension cables run between the two anchorages and stretch the weight from the bridge. They are anchored firmly into the earth.

Written by Emmanuel Christian.