Learn everything that goes into constructing a Steel bridge

Eads Bridge of St. Louis was the first ever all-steel bridge construction that opened its gates for the people, in 1874. It paved the way for future constructions that could further strengthen the transportation across cities and countries. The beautiful and modern bridges are now increasingly becoming popular landmarks in our lives, our travel expeditions, and also our movies. The construction of these bridges though is way more complicated than the beauty they showcase. Once the design is developed and approved, the raw-materials procured, the timeline and planning of the bridge is set and the construction of the bridge is initiated.

Modern bridge builders prefer Steel as their key raw-material to bring in the advanced features of the material to their construction. Steel provides economic benefits with its high durability and efficiency, environmental benefits of being sustainable, reusable, and is secure and aesthetically appealing for the society. Here is a step-by-step process involved in the construction of a Steel bridge.

1. Setting the Foundations

The layout and setup of the foundation for a bridge is dependent on the type and quality of soil present at the site of the bridge. The site is well investigated for the soil type available and the foundation requirement is estimated accordingly. The nature of the soil and the overall site analysis will determine the construction of the foundation and the number and placement of the TMT rods for ensuring the sturdiness of the finished bridge.

2. Construction of the Pillars

Once the foundation of the bridge is set, the workforce moves to the structural supports of the bridge which hold the entire bridge in place. The design for the supports is chosen to fit the application of the bridge, its load bearing capacity, the structure of the bridge, the area it covers, etc. These governing factors determine the type of Steel bars and plates to be used for the girders. Often times, these steel rods are corrosion resistant and bond very tightly with the concrete material to bring about that stiffness and longevity to these architectures.

3. Assembly of the bridge deck

The deck components are now completely made of Steel and are pre-made for the bridge constructions and brought to the site to assemble. The change from concrete elements to metal elements was made to ensure longer life span and sturdiness of the bridge. These assembly of the deck components is critical for determining the load-bearing capacity of the bridge. The components are assembled with the help of cranes and tightly put together with welding process.

4. Concrete reinforcements

The assembly of the Steel components are designed in a way to keep space for the concrete material to be poured in at a later stage. The concrete slab is poured in the structural setup to bond tightly with the Steel parts and reinforce the strength of the structure. The structural steel rods and beams are designed and produced with ribs and lugs that ensure the concrete material do not slip away from the surface. It is a tightly-packed combination of the materials that will ensure the safety on the bridge.

5. Final checks and tests

Once the entire bridge is constructed as per the design and application, Asphalt is laid out on the road to further strengthen the bridge. The bridge is then tested for its load bearing capacity, and the strength of the road for the upcoming traffic that it will endure. Once all the final checks are completed, the bridge is inaugurated and opened for traffic.

Agni Steels takes pride in being a constant contributor of Steel components for such key infrastructural architectures that are connecting cities and making a great contribution to the economy of the country. With our quality production of TMT Steel Rods that are fit for the modern and advanced structure, we are constantly delivering to the increasing demands for the main pillars of such key architectures in India.