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hen engineers think of cantile- ver bridges, the Quebec Bridge HISTORIC with its 1,800-foot span and the Firth of Forth Bridge with its W1,710-foot spans come to mind. The cantilever STRUCTURES principle in metal originated in Europe and the United States, but examples of cantilevers in wood and stone were found in many countries in the significant structures of the past Far East, such as India, Tibet, China and Japan, Firth of Forth cantilever illustration. as well as Norway and South America. The best known are Shogun’s Bridge in Nikko, Japan and John A. Roebling to build a railroad suspen- the Wandipore Bridge in Tibet, both built in the sion bridge across the Kentucky River for a line mid 17th century. Lewis Wernwag built small connecting Lexington and Danville, Kentucky. cantilevers in wood and iron across Frankfort and It was clear to Adams that a bridge across this Neshaminy Creeks outside Philadelphia around gorge would be the most difficult part of build- 1812 that he called “Economy Bridges.” Albert ing the 33-mile long® railroad. The longest iron Cottrell patented and built several cantilevers truss spans for railroads in the early 1850s were similar to the Wandipore Bridge in New England built by Squire Whipple, 147 feet on the Albany between 1840-1860, calling them “Solid Lever Northern Railroad, and by Albert Fink, who built Bridges.” It wasn’t until Heinrich Gerber built his a three span, Fink Truss, each of 205 feet, across cantilever in iron across the Main River at Hassfurt, the Monongahela River for the B&O. It was also CopyrightGermany in 1866 that obvious to Adams that, with the turbulent nature the merits of the cantile- of the river and the great depth of the gorge, the ver system in iron began required false work for a truss bridge would not Kentucky River High Bridge to be appreciated. be possible at this site. The site selected for the John Fowler and bridge was just west of the intersection of the Dix Benjamin Baker illus- and Kentucky Rivers. The gorge was described as, First Major Iron Cantilever trated the principle of the cantilever bridge in The Kentucky River...flows between two walls 1887 to indicate how the Firth of Forth Bridge Bridge in the United States of limestone rock from 300 to 450 feet high- was designed. Working from the left is the anchor- almost perfectly vertical, and varying from age, the anchor span, a tower, a cantilever arm, a By Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist. 1,000 to 1,300 feet apart. This canyon is suspended span, a tower and another anchor span M. ASCE, D. Eng., P.E., P.L.S. extremely tortuous, and the stream flowing and anchorage.magazine The arms of the two tower men through it is about 300 feet in width at ordi- S Tare in tensionR withU the struts upC from theirT chairs U R E nary stages. The maximum rise above low in compression. The counterweights (anchorages) water is 57 feet, and the extreme flood speed at the ends balance the suspended and cantilever observed was eight miles per hour. arms. Before this illustration was published, a competition in the 1870s was held for a bridge After building the towers, anchorages and with to span the East River in New York City across wire to spin the cables on site, the company Dr. Griggs specializes in the Blackwell’s Island. Several men proposed iron ran out of money in 1855. It wasn’t until 1873 restoration of historic bridges, cantilevers, including William Petit Trowbridge that the Cincinnati Southern Railroad solicited having restored many 19th Century who originally proposed one in 1868 and again proposals to build a bridge at the same site. C. cast and wrought iron bridges. He in the 1870s competition. Henry Flad, Charles Shaler Smith, and the Baltimore Bridge Company was formerly Director of Historic Macdonald and others submitted designs, but (STRUCTURE, April 2008) in the first competi- Bridge Programs for Clough, no action was taken. tion, submitted a plan for a five span continuous Harbour & Associates LLP in In 1851, the Lexington & Danville Railroad, truss bridge with three river piers in which they Albany, NY, and is now an with Julius Adams as Chief Engineer, retained assumed points of contraflexure for calculation independent Consulting Engineer. Dr. Griggs can be reached at [email protected]. Smith erection detail for cantilever span using Roebling’s towers and anchor chains. 22 August 2015 STRUCTURE magazine purposes. The problem with continuous trusses was the danger of unequal settlement of the piers and that temperature changes could place large stresses on the bridge mem- bers. In addition, it was difficult to purchase iron with a constant modulus of elasticity that was necessary to make the required calcula- tions. Flad & Pfeiffer, a firm from St. Louis, submitted a plan for a continuous girder bridge with the chords cut following the plan adopted by Gerber. In the second round of submittals, a number of meritorious plans were presented; the one finally accepted was that prepared by Smith for a cantilever bridge, erected as a continuous truss, in wrought iron erected by a new and novel method using ® Roebling’s towers as anchors. Thomas Lovett, the Chief Engineer for the Cincinnati Southern, decided that there should only be two piers on the banks of the river, 375 feet apart and set 375 feet from the abutments. Smith chose to utilize Whipple Copyright Double Intersection Trusses and to run the Erection progress showing temporary wood pier and permanent iron pier. Note extra erections diagonals to right of temporary pier. trains on the top chords of the trusses. Smith cantilevered the first 196 feet 10 the opposite shore and the process repeated is 37.5 feet deep and 18 feet wide, and each inches of his trusses out from the abutments until the trusses met at mid span. What bay is divided into 20 panels of 18.75 feet to temporary wooden piers. This was unlike Smith did can best be told by a contemporary each. All connections between ties, posts Eads who, at St. Louis, had built temporary account that appeared in The Railroad Gazette and chords are hinged on pin connections wooden towers on the tops of his piers and of January 19, 1877, written while the bridge but the chords are riveted to each other extended iron bars from the top of the towers was under construction. It said in part, throughout, with the novel addition that down to the deck to support cantilevered the pin carrying the tie bars is forced into arch segments until they met at mid span. The viaduct as now being constructed con- the chord splice by hydraulic pressure, and Given the height of the piers and length magazinesists of three spans of 375 feet each, resting thus does duty as a rivet. of span, Smith could not Suse this process.T Ron the bluffsU and onC two iron Tpiers, whichU R E He chose to place a heavy beam built up of latter in turn are supported by stone piers, After the bridge seat was cut out of the 12-inch x 12-inch oak timbers, in 11 rows each 120 feet long by 42 feet in width at cliff, the end posts were set up and the first and 11 columns, approximately 40 feet long, the base. The iron piers consist of four legs section of bottom chord laid in place, each across the backs of Roebling’s columns. He each, and while having a base of 71 feet 6 chord being continued back to the rock by then drilled six holes on each side through inches by 28 feet, their longitudinal profile a large screw jack placed between its rear the timber on the line on each truss and terminates in a point at the top, or rather end and the face of the bluff. Then the inserted 4-inch diameter bolts with one end in a 12-inch pin upon which the truss rests top of each end post was bolted back to threaded and the other end with a forged as on a rocker. The entire pier is a complete Roebling’s towers by anchor bolts, which eye. He then connected the bolts to a series structure within itself and can be rolled has a screw adjustment… of eight 7-inch x 11/4-inch anchor chains sal- about on the masonry, the pedestal resting continued on next page vaged from Roebling’s anchorages. Using the on double roller beds for this purpose. links, he extended a chain to a connection The truss itself is, during erection, a con- Advertiser ADVERTISEMENT–For Information, visit at the end of the top chord of the trusses. SOFTWARE AND CONSULTING tinuous girder of the Whipple type; but In order to have the cantilever arrive at the after erection it will be converted into one FLOOR VIBRATIONS proper elevation when it reached the tem- continuous girder 525 feet long, project- porary piers, he simply adjusted the nuts at FLOORVIBE v2.20 New Release ing at each end 75 feet over its points of • Software to Analyze Floors for Annoying Vibrations the ends of the bars, and used jacks, braced support, and carrying from each of these • Demo version at www.FloorVibe.com against the abutment rock, to push against, • Calculations follow AISC Design Guide 11 and SJI cantilevers a 300-foot span, which bridges Technical Digest 5 2nd Edition Procedures or relax, the ends of the lower chord. After the distance from the end of the cantilever • Analyze for Walking and Rhythmic Activities the trusses reached the temporary pier, they • Check floors supporting sensitive equipment to the bluff.