Bridge Basics - A Spotter's Guide to Bridge Design. Bridge Basics Because of the wide range of structural possibilities, this Spotter's Guide shows only the most common fixed (non-movable) bridge types.
Other types are listed in the Bridge Terminology page. The drawings are not to scale. Additional related info is found on the other Terminology pages which are linked to the left. Main Types of Bridges. BUILDING BIG: All About Bridges. Forces Lab Check out how forces affect structures like bridges.
Who Builds Big? Meet Miguel Rosales, an architect who designs beautiful bridges, and David Nyarko, an engineer who makes bridges move! Bridge Webography Check out these links to a bevy of bridge resources on the Web. Bridge. Etymology The Oxford English Dictionary traces the origin of the word bridge to an Old English word brycg, of the same meaning, derived from the hypothetical Proto-Germanic root brugjō. There are cognates in other Germanic languages. History The first bridges were made by nature itself — as simple as a log fallen across a stream or stones in the river.
The first bridges made by humans were probably spans of cut wooden logs or planks and eventually stones, using a simple support and crossbeam arrangement.