Bridges have been in use for thousands of years now. There are a number of factors that need to be considered for the type of bridge to be built in a particular location. Some of these factors include the type of traffic it will be subjected to, what passes underneath the bridge, the locations available for foundations for the bridge, the budget for the construction, as well as the materials to be used for the construction of the bridge. The main aim of this project is to determine which type of bridge has the maximum weight bearing capacity.
For this different types of bridges were built first using paper and then using wood and glue. Loads were applied to see which type of bridge took the maximum load. This testing was done on Girder Bridge, Pratt Truss Bridge, Rigid Frame Bridge, Sonny Truss Bridge and Warren Truss Bridge. It was seen that the maximum load was taken by Sonny Truss Bridge. This is due to the presence of an extra compression member. It can be concluded that addition of compression members at the right positions in the bridges can lead to an increased weight bearing capacity. It should be noted that although truss bridges have maximum efficiency when it some to load carrying capacity, but they are not so commonly used because the tension and compression members create distraction to the eyes of the driver.
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