Suspension cables support bridge lights and the roadway hangs from smaller drop cables. Maintenance is constant, with regular inspections and painting to combat rust and corrosion. Bridges over salt water use rubberized coating. The George Washington Bridge has enough steel cables to go around the Earth at the equator.
A suspension cable is used to support large bridge lights. Created from thousands of small steel cables coiled into one large suspension cable, the bridge’s roadway hangs securely from the cables. Using huge concrete blocks buried at each end of the bridge, the force of the suspension cable is moved along the entire length of the bridge. In long bridge designs, the suspension cable allows the bridge to sway slightly in the wind instead of fighting the shear forces that would ultimately destroy a stiff span.
While the bridge benefits from the strength of the suspension cable, it doesn’t actually connect to it. The roadway of the bridge is suspended far below the suspension cable by smaller drop cables. These drop cables are connected to both the bridge and the suspension cable using large clamps and bolts. By using many drop cables to support the weight of the bridge roadway, each drop cable is responsible for suspending only a short section of roadway.
The maintenance of a rope suspension bridge is endless. Large cables are inspected regularly for frayed cables, rust and corrosion. A special paint intended to combat corrosion and rust is used to cover the cables. On many large suspension bridges, cable painting is a continuous activity that is performed 365 days a year. Workers who aren’t afraid of heights are tasked with running giant cables from one end of the bridge to the other. These tightrope walkers spend their days checking out any areas that may need attention.
Suspension bridges that span salt water are especially prone to rust and corrosion of the cables. These decks use a rubberized coating instead of paint to protect the steel cables from the aggressive elements of saltwater. Bridges, such as the US Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, get their distinctive red coloring from the special coating that protects them from the elements. This coating is applied not only to the cables, but also to the steel towers and road structure.
Another US structure, the George Washington Bridge in New York City, is said to have enough steel cables coiled together to form the suspension cables holding up the roadway to go around the Earth at the equator. It took workers over a year to wind up the cables used in that bridge alone. Starting as a single strand of small diameter steel cable, the cables wound up into the large components in use today.
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