Viaduct inspection
Introduction
A bridge is a structure built to cross over a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road or railway) without blocking the path passing underneath.[1][2] It is built for the purpose of providing a passage over the obstacle, which is usually something that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to cross. Bridge designs vary depending on factors such as the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the bridge is built and anchored, the material used to make it, and the funds available to build it. Its project and calculations correspond to structural engineering.[3].
The first bridges were probably built from fallen trees and stepping stones. Neolithic people built wooden bridges over swamps. The Kazarma Bridge, which dates back to the century BC. C., in the Peloponnese, it is one of the oldest existing and used arch bridges.[4] The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is, as of 2025, the longest bridge in the world, with a total length of 164.8 kilometers.[5].
History of bridges
Contenido
La necesidad humana de cruzar pequeños arroyos y ríos fue el comienzo de la historia de los puentes. Hasta el día de hoy, la técnica ha pasado desde una simple losa hasta grandes puentes colgantes que miden varios kilómetros y que cruzan bahías. Los puentes se han convertido a lo largo de la historia no solo en un elemento muy básico para una sociedad, sino en símbolo de su capacidad tecnológica.
From prehistory to the great Roman builders
Bridges have their origin in the same prehistory. Possibly the first bridge in history was a tree that a prehistoric being used to connect the two banks of a river. They also used stone slabs for small streams when there were no trees nearby. The following bridges were arches made of logs or planks and occasionally stones, using a simple support and placing transverse beams. Most of these early bridges were very poorly built and rarely supported very heavy loads. It was this insufficiency that led to the development of improved bridges.
An arch bridge is a bridge with supports located at the ends of the span to be bridged, between which there is an arch-shaped structure "Arch (architecture)") with which the loads are transmitted. The deck "Deck (architecture)") can be supported or hung from this main structure, giving rise to different types of arch bridges depending on the relative position of the deck with respect to the arch.[6].