Akram Youth Beware! Do Not Obstruct anyone | August 2015 | Akr | Page 20

Behind the Scenes of
the

Suspension
Bridge
Most bridges we may see or travel on
are supported by many pillars underneath.
That is an old age technology.
Today, suspension bridges have
emerged as new technological inventions
to encompass the needs of rising
commuting requirements. They hold vital
economic advantages and ease commuting
and trading between two separate
locations.
The suspension bridge consists of
two pillar-like structures called towers. The
deck (platform supporting the road) is
firmly held by cables (wires, chains or
ropes) which are connected to the towers
and anchors. The key to the bridge's success
is possible by dealing with two important
forces effectively i.e Compression and
Tension.
Compression: Imagine a spring. If you press
the spring by applying force from the sides
of the spring, it will shorten in length. The
spring is under the force of compression.
Te n s i o n : S i m p l y t h e o p p o s i t e o f
compression. Again imagine the spring. If
you pull from both the ends, you will see
that the spring expands in length. This is due
to the force of tension.
Suspension bridges need to effectively
deal with these forces. If compression is too
2015
20 || August
20
yku„Mx 2015

high then the bridge may 'buckle'. On the
other-hand if the tension is too high it may
cause the bridge to 'sn \ ˂