Glossary
• Abutments
– The supports where a bridge meets the ground.
Abutments resist the outward thrust (push) and
keep the bridge up.
• Arch bridge
– A type of bridge in which the compressive stress
created by the load is spread over the arch as a
whole.

Glossary
• Cantilever bridge
– A type of bridge in which a beam is capable of
supporting a specified load at one end when the
opposite end is anchored or fixed.
• Compression
– A squeezing force.
• Dynamic load
– A load on a structure that is always changing.

Glossary
• Load
– The weight, mass, or force placed on a structure.
• Pier
– A structure that extends from a bridge in the ground
below to form a firm foundation to support the
bridge.
• Reinforced Concrete
– Concrete in which steel or plastic rods have been
embedded to increase the concrete’s resistance to
tension.

Glossary
• Shear
– A multidirectional sliding and separating force.
• Static load
– A load that is unchanging or that changes slowly.
• Stays
– Cables that support a bridge deck from above.
• Structure
– Something that encloses and defines a space; also, an
assembly of separate parts that is capable of
supporting a load.

Glossary
• Strut
– A rigid structural member that is in compression.
• Suspension bridge
– A bridge in which the deck is suspended (hung)
from hangers attached to a continuous cable,
which passes over towers and is anchored to the
ground at each end.

Glossary
• Tension
– A pulling force.
• Tie
– A rigid structural member that is in tension.
• Truss
– A structural element made up of a series of
triangular frames.