Stress and Strain Relationships on Stress Ribbon StructuresA bridge is a type of transportation infrastructure built to join two separate points of land together. Bridges are often built to allow passage over certain obstacles such as bodies of water or geographic depressions. They can be classified in different ways, also based on their intended use or the materials used to make them. A bridge built exclusively for people to cross is classified as a pedestrian bridge. Likewise, a wooden bridge would be classified as a wooden bridge, while a concrete bridge would be classified as a concrete bridge. However, the most effective way to classify bridges is by their structural form (“Bridges”, 2008). The three most basic types of bridge structures are girder bridges, arch bridges, and suspension bridges (“Bridge Technology,” 2007). The beam structure consists of a chain of interconnected beams supported vertically through the use of well-distributed pillars. The arched structure uses curved elements to disperse applied forces downward into the end abutments. Finally, the suspension structure takes advantage of the superior tensile strength of the steel cables to help support the massive loads applied to the bridge. While some bridges are built with a basic structure, others are constructed through a combination of the structural forms mentioned above (“Bridges”, 2008). Stress Relief Ribbon Bridge A stress relief ribbon bridge is a unique type of bridge structure characterized by its simple catenary shape. and thin concrete bridge. “The tension belt concept borrows the principle of the suspension bridge but develops it further using high-strength materials and m...... middle of paper ......bbon pedestrian bridges in Czechoslovakia. Retrieved from http://www.pci.org/pdf/publications/journal/1987/May-June/JL-87-MAY-JUNE-4.pdfStrasky, J. (2004). Recent developments in the design of tension band bridges. Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:HZ_0RHziXHQJ:www.cement.org/Bookstore/download.asp%3Fmediatypeid%3D1%26id%3D7121%26itemid%3DIS617+stress+ribbon&hl= it&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShElFbAnAHmbhR0Xr7oSO5RWxWd7CKzAA-IJAUKW3xsI0niIoTDH_BowhTg6N-rYhBlJ39EpWH4oEH2h9y4KY3_ekYc EY0lXD8K-Xrva1vl4yqAM58jGNMkI03 - vCCCVe8RvYR5&sig=AHIEtbR6ZvE Amub84QgS4uUL-H1s-o0lbQResistance of materials. (2011). Excerpt from the Encyclopedia Americana. (0372230-00)US Precast Concrete Assembly. (2011). Lake Hodges Pedestrian Stress Ribbon Bridge. Retrieved from http://www.us-concreteprecast.com/project-profiles/lake-hodges-pedestrian-stress-ribbon-bridge/