Suspension bridges have several advantages and disadvantages to consider for new spans. Advantages include being cost effective with minimal materials, having the ability to be built high over waterways and span great lengths. Suspension bridges also have flexibility and simpler construction than other designs. However, disadvantages include being able to struggle supporting heavy weights, susceptibility to vibrations in high winds, and lower deck stiffness than other designs. The failure of just one cable can also potentially cause a full collapse of the structure.
Suspension bridges have several advantages and disadvantages to consider for new spans. Advantages include being cost effective with minimal materials, having the ability to be built high over waterways and span great lengths. Suspension bridges also have flexibility and simpler construction than other designs. However, disadvantages include being able to struggle supporting heavy weights, susceptibility to vibrations in high winds, and lower deck stiffness than other designs. The failure of just one cable can also potentially cause a full collapse of the structure.
Suspension bridges have several advantages and disadvantages to consider for new spans. Advantages include being cost effective with minimal materials, having the ability to be built high over waterways and span great lengths. Suspension bridges also have flexibility and simpler construction than other designs. However, disadvantages include being able to struggle supporting heavy weights, susceptibility to vibrations in high winds, and lower deck stiffness than other designs. The failure of just one cable can also potentially cause a full collapse of the structure.
Suspension bridges have several advantages and disadvantages to consider for new spans. Advantages include being cost effective with minimal materials, having the ability to be built high over waterways and span great lengths. Suspension bridges also have flexibility and simpler construction than other designs. However, disadvantages include being able to struggle supporting heavy weights, susceptibility to vibrations in high winds, and lower deck stiffness than other designs. The failure of just one cable can also potentially cause a full collapse of the structure.
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Advantages and Disadvantages
Suspension bridges capture the imagination of people everywhere. With their tall towers, slender cables, and tremendous spans, they appear as ethereal giants stretching out to join together opposite shores. Sometimes they are short and stocky and seem to be guardians and protectors of their domain. Other times, they are so long and slender that they seem to be fragile and easily moved. Whatever their visual image, people react to them and remember how they felt when they first saw them.
When well designed and proportioned, suspension bridges are the most beautiful of bridges, as the simplicity of the structural arrangement, the natural curve of the main cables, the slender suspended deck and towers, produce an aesthetically attractive structure. This natural grace can also make suspension bridges a suitable choice for relatively short-span footbridges in situations where an attractive appearance is an important consideration.
When looking at the advantages and disadvantages of suspension bridges, it is clear to see that there are some weak points in the design to consider. When engineers can create an effective design that counters these problems, then the potential of this span is pretty amazing. If that outcome is not possible, then there is a significant risk of collapse that must be taken under consideration.
There are several unique advantages and disadvantages of suspension bridges to consider when communities start looking at the need for a new span.
Advantages
1. Cost Effective There is a very minimal amount of materials needed in order to construct a suspension bridge. The only other costs incurred are with the labor involved in building it.
Suspension bridges are relatively economical to build in the sense that only a minimum amount of supplies is needed to create the structure. You only need the anchors to support the construction, cables that support the deck, and then the pathway for pedestrians or vehicles.
This structure can prove to be a comprehensive solution for communities looking to build a functional bridge without plenty of funds, primarily because wood and rope are just as useful as steel or iron for its construction. Despite the lack of funds, a suspension bridge can still look visually appealing and thoroughly operative from a practical viewpoint.
2. Can Be Built High Up
Suspension bridges can be built very high up over waterways. This is essential for any area that needs to be able to allow passing ships to come through.
3. Span Great Lengths
The way that suspension bridges are constructed, and the materials that are used, allow them to be able to span a great distance with minimal materials.
China has built half of the 10 longest suspension bridges currently operational in the world today. The current record holder is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan for a suspension standpoint, with a central span that measures almost 2,000 meters. The six lanes of combined traffic that it supports offer a combined length of almost 4,000 meters. It took ten years to complete the construction, supporting Honshu and Shikoku by highway and rail. It can withstand an 8.5-magnitude earthquake or wind speeds of up to 286 kilometers per hour.
The Xihoumen Bridge connects Cezi Island with Jintang Island in China, providing a main span of 1,650 meters. The four expressway lanes measure a total of 5,300 meters, built from 2004 to 2009 as part of a long- term infrastructure improvement plan. This design is effective for long spans because the support mechanisms remain the same.
4. Has Flexibility One common reason that the choice to build a suspension bridge is reached is if it is being built in a high earthquake zone, like California. This is because suspension bridges are flexible due to the cable system they are held up by. The bridge can “move” with the wind and during natural disasters such as an earthquake. When installing a new suspension bridge over a span of any size, the deck can be built so that it can have sections of it replaced. This advantage allows a community to expand the section to widen the lanes of traffic or add pedestrian-specific areas for travel. You can also make adjustments to the amount of weight that the bridge can support over time. That means the structure can evolve with the area so that it can continue to offer a useful deck for whatever traffic needs to cross.
5. Simple Construction No access is needed from below the bridge while it is being constructed, making it a great choice for areas that ships and waterways need to stay clear.
6. It is easier to maintain suspension bridges when compared to other styles.
Once the construction of the suspension bridge is complete, there are relatively few materials required to maintain its upkeep. Most communities can get by with routine checks of the hardware and structural components, a layer of paint every so often, and some deck repair. There are fewer needs for major overhauls because there aren’t as many moving components with this design. That means the ongoing expenses for the span are less, so you can save money establishing the bridge and while taking care of it.
7. Suspension bridges provide a landmark for many communities.
The undulating shapes of the standard suspension bridge make it an aesthetically pleasing experience. The linear features and curved shapes help communities to design a landmark that can draw tourism dollars to the region. Iconic bridges like the Golden Gate, Tower, or Brooklyn all bring people to the structure because they want to see it. Suspension bridges already provide a familiar shape and user confidence with their design, encouraging all of them to become famous in their own way.
Disadvantages
1. Suspension bridges can struggle to support focused heavy weights.
The goal of a suspension bridge is to continually transfer the tension and weight of traffic as it moves along the span. All of the cables work together to make this happen, but there is an upper weight tolerance that one must consider. If the focused weight of a heavy object crossing the span were to be greater than the weight limit of a single cable, then the entire structure would be at risk of collapse. That’s why you do not usually see this design in place when significant rail traffic needs support.
2. High winds can cause a suspension bridge to start vibrating.
When there is a stiff breeze that comes across the face of a rigid suspension bridge, then the forces acting on the structure can cause the deck to begin vibrating. Most of the spans in use today require aerodynamic profiling or added stiffness to its design so that this outcome does not occur. This disadvantage can be cumbersome in some situations since the added weight or extra components may not be fully supported by the installation point.
3. Suspension bridges have a lower deck stiffness compared to other designs.
The typical suspension bridge design offers a relatively low deck stiffness compared to other spans that don’t use this engineering concept. That makes it virtually impossible for the span to carry heavy rail traffic when highly concentrated live loads occur frequently. Reinforced designs can minimize this disadvantage to a certain extent, but the design will rarely have a chance to compete with non-suspension options. That’s the reason why you usually see the suspension designed used for vehicular traffic, cycling, or pedestrian needs and not on railroad crossings.
4. Some suspension bridges require extensive foundation work.
If the suspension bridge needs to be built in an area that has a lot of soft ground, then engineers must spend a considerable amount of time working on the foundation of the structure. Extensive reinforcement of the tower anchors is necessary because the weight of the bridge would force it to begin sinking into the ground over time. Every heavy load that the span would support would force it deeper into the earth. Even when this work takes place, there is no guarantee that the result will be successful. 5. The failure of one cable can be enough to cause the entire bridge to collapse. The Kutai Kartanegara Bridge in Indonesia suffered a catastrophic collapse in 2011. There were 20 people killed and 40 injured, along with 19 people listed as being missing. The deck of the structure was completely destroyed. Two bridge pillars were standing at the time of the collapse. The reason for the incident was human error. The structure collapsed when workers were repairing a cable.
Only one support cable snapped to cause the suspension bridge to suffer a catastrophic failure. That’s why continuous maintenance and inspection must occur, along with the support of experienced engineers and laborers who can support the health of the span. Almost every recorded collapse of a suspension bridge has been due to overloading in some way.
6. There are cheaper bridge options to build.
Suspension bridges are one of the more affordable span options that communities can build to support transportation networks. It is also more expensive to install them when compared to some of the other options. When a suspension bridge fails for some reason, it is usually replaced with an arch bridge because of the effectiveness of the design and its overall tensile strength when combined with the final cost in comparison.
