Cable-stayed bridges use steel cables suspended from tall towers to support the decking. Open-grid iron panels are used to reduce wind effects, making them safe for use in most situations. The cables are made up of thousands of small cables, and most large cable-stayed bridges are toll bridges.
A cable stayed bridge is a bridge design that uses large steel cables suspended from tall towers or piers to support the decking of the bridge. The cable-stayed bridge design is typically used on bridges spanning large distances. Some of the longest bridges in the world are built using cable stayed bridge design.
One of the biggest difficulties in building a long bridge is the wind. The constant battle between the bridge and the wind can cause the bridge to sway drastically. In an effort to eliminate the effects of wind on the cable-stayed bridge design, the bridge’s roadway is constructed of open-grid iron panels. These open panels act much like screen doors in the deck decking and allow wind to pass undisturbed onto the deck. The result is a cable-stayed bridge that doesn’t sway in the wind.
The use of open grid panels works so well that most cable-stayed bridges are able to remain open and safe for use in all but the most severe wind situations. In unusually strong winds or storms, bridges usually close to traffic. When the wind speed decreases or the storm clears up, the bridge will reopen. This action was taken due to vehicles being swept off the roadway of the huge bridge.
The large cables that run the length of a cable-stayed bridge are not single cables. These large cables are actually made up of thousands of small cables wrapped around each other to form one large cable. Multi-stranded wire is actually several times stronger than a single strand wire of the same size. The large cables hold all the smaller cables that are attached to the deck decking. The cables all work together to create a strong and secure bridge that can hold large volumes of traffic for a very long time.
Most of the world’s largest cable-stayed bridges are toll bridges. This is due in part to the enormous cost of building large structures, as well as the convenience of having a bridge connecting two points of land otherwise unconnected by other means. Prior to the completion of many cable-stayed bridge projects, the only way to cross the bridge’s path was by boat. This made the route nearly unusable for everyday travel.
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