Golden Gate Bridge, 11811426 & 11815852

ARC 403
ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
Submitted by:
Antarikshya M Bahan 11811426
Arifur Rahman 11815852
Golden Gate Bridge: Construction of One of the Longest
Suspension Bridges in the World
Architect- Irving Morrow
Construction start -January 5, 1933

Construction end -April 19, 1937
Total length- 8,980 ft (2,737.1 m),about 1.7 mi (2.7 km)
Width 90 ft (27.4 m)
Height 746 ft (227.4 m)
The bridge was opened to
the public on 27 May, 1937,
and was celebrated as
Pedestrian Day with more
than 200,000 people
crossing over it.
A similar gathering of
around 300,000 people was Click to add text
observed to mark the 50th
anniversary of the bridge
that unfortunately led to a
deflection in the middle
portion by 7 feet, thereby
flattening the iconic arch of
the bridge.
• The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco Bay to Marine County and is seen as a symbol of power and
progress of the United States of America.
• It is a type of suspension bridge with a tower at each end, and a deck supported by cables attached to the towers.
• During the summers, a thick blanket of

fog gets accumulated around the bridge
concealing the complete span with just
its two orange towers visibly rising
above the fog blanket, giving an
appearance of two golden ladders
ascending towards the sky. It seems to
represent a golden gate towards the
heaven.
1. Structural System of the Golden Gate Bridge
The suspension
bridge consists of two
towers, a deck, cables,
anchorage, and piers. The
anchors secure the cables,
which carry the load acting
on the deck. Each tower puts
tension on the cables to keep
the deck suspended. The
tension creates a downward
force on the towers that is
absorbed by the piers.
1.1 Piers and Towers
Two towers of the bridge were constructed on each end of the San
Francisco Bay. The towers hold the cables of the bridge that support
the deck and transfer the weight of the bridge to the towers.
A compression force created by the cables is resisted by towers through
piers that are made of reinforced concrete and rest on the bedrock
under the San Francisco Bay. These piers transfer the compressive
force to the rocks.
1.2 Cables
The two main cables of the bridge are hanged between the towers. The
cables form a U-shaped curve and are made of 27,572 individual pieces
of steel wires. Further, the steel ropes are suspended from the main
cables to connect to the deck. Gravity pulls the deck, creating a tension
force in the main cable to resist this load.
1.3 Anchorage Block

The tension force created due to the dead load of the deck has to be offset to prevent the collapse of the bridge. To
offset this force, one anchorage block was provided on each side of the San Francisco bay. This anchorage provides a
tight grip to the main cables. The end of the cables is supported by an anchorage on both sides of the bridge.
Further, the anchorages are connected to bedrock with rods, steel plates, and eye bars. Each anchorage consists of 60
eye bars (metal rods with holes at their tips). The wires of the main cables are fastened to the holes in the eye bars.
This system keeps the cables from sagging under the weight of the bridge deck.
Principal of long suspension bridge
The deck is always suspended by hangers, each attached to the main cable, which in
turn is anchored into the ground at its ends.
Suspension bridge usually has a slender deck which carries bending only (no
compression).
CONSTRUCTION
• Challenges
1.The bridge in this location should withstand brutal winds,
tide, and fog.
2.It is also located less than 13km from the epicenter of the
most catastrophic earthquake in history.
• Components
1. The anchorages - the massive blocks that grip the bridge's

supporting cables.
2. The north pier, which supports the tower, was built easily on
a bedrock ledge 6m below the water.
3. But on the southern San Francisco side, Strauss had to

build his pier in the open ocean, 30m below the surface.
4. Steel frame and steel cables

• A parallel wire construction tech. is used
1.weight-blocks which ballast the cable anchorage. Provided for stabilization
2. Pier: The pier, made up of 147,600 tons of concrete, was built in 37m
of open water. This was achieved by the concrete fender that in itself is a
marvel of construction; it is 108m long and 56m wide at the center line of
the bridge.
3. Suspended cantilever construction
Design Issue & Structure details
Leon S. Moisseiff was named one of the consulting engineers proposed a bridge
far more efficient and beautiful
In addition to the suspension bridge the approaches include a steel arch bridge,
two concrete anchorages, two steel truss viaducts and three concrete pylons.
The Golden Gate followed this design below the roadbed, but modified it above the
deck to big open rectangles without cross-members, framing the blue sky and
producing a lighter look.
Aesthetics
• Fulfillment of function The bridge fulfilled a high degree of simplicity, which make the bridge
beautiful.
• Proportions: Conveys a decent impression of balance between its mass and voids, and between
light and shadow
• Order: The appearance of the bridge looks like a mirror image of two similar towers with cables.
• Integrating into the Environment
• Texture: It has rough finishing for piers and abutments, which makes sense for bridge design.
• Colour :This colour brings a big contrast with the sky and sea
Loading
The most important types of loadings we need to consider on the bridge

are:
1. Dead load,
2. Super-imposed dead load,
3. Live Traffic,
4. Wind,
5. Temperature
Serviceability
In addition to traffic loading, the Golden Gate Bridge must withstand the
following environments:
1. Earthquakes, primary originating on the San Andreas and Hayward faults.

2. Wind of up to 70 miles per hour.
3. Strong ocean current.
4. Temperature stresses.
Creep effect
• Although the Golden Gate Bridge is regarded as a steel frame and steel cable
structure, large amount of concrete is used on the bridge; including the anchorages,
paving, pylons, piers, approaches and so on.
• To minimize this effect, an Anti-
seismic stop device for
girder structures of
Golden Gate Bridge, is
used.
Potential weakness and improvement of the Golden Gate Bridge

• In 1989, the epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake was too strong to damage the Golden Gate
Bridge.
• After the earthquake, a restrainer retrofit project was necessary in order to increase its earthquake
resistance, as scientific organizations say that there is a 62% probability of at least one magnitude
6.7 or greater quake capable of causing widespread damage, impacting the San Francisco Bay
within the next 30 years.
Improvement of bridge
Phase 1 would retrofit the Marin (north) Approach Viaduct
Phase 2 would retrofit the San Francisco (south) Approach Viaduct, San Francisco (south) Anchorage Housing,
Fort Point Arch, and Pylons S1 and S2
Phase 3 would Main Suspension Bridge and Marin (north) Anchorage Housing
VIDEO LINK- https://youtu.be/OC5C9a2udjo
THANK YOU.

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ARC 403

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

Architect- Irving Morrow

Construction start -January 5, 1933

Total length- 8,980 ft (2,737.1 m),about 1.7 mi (2.7 km)

• During the summers, a thick blanket of

1.3 Anchorage Block

1. The anchorages - the massive blocks that grip the bridge's

3. But on the southern San Francisco side, Strauss had to

4. Steel frame and steel cables

• Integrating into the Environment

The most important types of loadings we need to consider on the bridge

1. Earthquakes, primary originating on the San Andreas and Hayward faults.

Potential weakness and improvement of the Golden Gate Bridge

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