Tubular bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tubular bridge | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conwy Railway Bridge | |
| Ancestor | Box girder bridge |
| Related | skyway, jetway |
| Descendant | None |
| Carries | Pedestrians, automobiles, trucks, light rail, heavy rail |
| Span range | Short |
| Material | Iron, steel, reinforced concrete, post-stressed concrete |
| Movable | No |
| Design effort | Low |
| Falsework required | Depends upon length and degree of prefabrication |
A tubular bridge is a bridge built as a rigid box section within which the traffic is carried. Famous examples include the original Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait and the Conwy railway bridge over the River Conwy, both designed and built by Robert Stephenson between 1846 and 1850. In the case of the Britannia Bridge this technology allowed a bridge 1511-ft long to be constructed, when until then the longest wrought iron span had been 31 ft 6 inches.
[edit] See also
- Box girder bridge - a similar bridge that carries the traffic atop the box.
- Covered bridge - a type which may employ a variety of structures but which also encloses the traffic (for the protection of the bridge)
- Jetway - a movable bridge that carries pedestrians from a terminal to an aircraft.
- Skyway - a bridge connecting buildings at an elevation above the ground
