Bascule bridge: Difference between revisions

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{{BridgeTypePix|
{{BridgeTypePix|
|type_name= Bascule bridge
|type_name= Bascule bridge
|image=MovableBridge_draw.gif
|image=File:Wells Street Bridge 070512.jpg
|image_title=This animation shows the movement of a double-leaf bascule.
|image_title=The [[Wells Street Bridge (Chicago)]], a double-leaf bascule bridge
|sibling_names= [[Lift bridge]], [[swing bridge]]
|sibling_names= [[Lift bridge]], [[swing bridge]]
|descendent_names= None
|descendent_names= None
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There are three types of bascule bridge<ref>{{cite book | last=Koglin | first=Terry L. | title=Movable bridge engineering | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_cyqkMJ7QDgC | access-date=May 25, 2009 | year=2003 | publisher=John Wiley and Sons | isbn=978-0-471-41960-0 | chapter=4. Bascule Bridges | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_cyqkMJ7QDgC }}</ref> and the [[counterweight]]s to the span may be located above or below the bridge deck.
There are three types of bascule bridge<ref>{{cite book | last=Koglin | first=Terry L. | title=Movable bridge engineering | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_cyqkMJ7QDgC | access-date=May 25, 2009 | year=2003 | publisher=John Wiley and Sons | isbn=978-0-471-41960-0 | chapter=4. Bascule Bridges | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_cyqkMJ7QDgC }}</ref> and the [[counterweight]]s to the span may be located above or below the bridge deck.


The '''fixed-[[trunnion]]''' (sometimes a "Chicago" bascule) rotates around a large [[axle]] that raises the span(s). The Chicago bascule name derives from the location where it is widely used, and is a refinement by [[Joseph Strauss (engineer)|Joseph Strauss]] of the fixed-trunnion.<ref name="chicago landmarks">{{cite web|title=Landmark Designation Report: Historic Chicago Bridges|orig-year=September 2006|date=September 2007|publisher=[[Commission on Chicago Landmarks]]| url=https://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Historic_Chicago_Railroad_Bridges.pdf |pages=12, 15 (pdf pages 14, 17)|access-date=April 21, 2013}}</ref> The [[Jackknife Bascule Bridge]] in [[Fort William, Ontario]] (now [[Thunder Bay, Ontario]]) was the first double-decked bascule bridge in the world, accommodating rail on the bottom and road/foot traffic on top. It was designed by [[Joseph Strauss (engineer)|Joseph Strauss]] for the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]].
The '''fixed-[[trunnion]]''' (sometimes a "Chicago" bascule) rotates around a large [[axle]] that raises the span(s). The Chicago bascule name derives from the location where it is widely used, and is a refinement by [[Joseph Strauss (engineer)|Joseph Strauss]] of the fixed-trunnion.<ref name="chicago landmarks">{{cite web|title=Landmark Designation Report: Historic Chicago Bridges|orig-year=September 2006|date=September 2007|publisher=[[Commission on Chicago Landmarks]]| url=https://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Historic_Chicago_Railroad_Bridges.pdf |pages=12, 15 (pdf pages 14, 17)|access-date=April 21, 2013}}</ref> There are 44 movable bridges in Chicago, however 12 are not in operation. The [[Jackknife Bascule Bridge]] in [[Fort William, Ontario]] (now [[Thunder Bay, Ontario]]) was the first double-decked bascule bridge in the world, accommodating rail on the bottom and road/foot traffic on top. It was designed by [[Joseph Strauss (engineer)|Joseph Strauss]] for the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]].


The '''{{vanchor|rolling lift}}''' trunnion (sometimes a "Scherzer" rolling lift), raises the span by rolling on a track resembling a rocking-chair base. The "Scherzer" rolling lift is a refinement patented in 1893 by American engineer [[William Donald Scherzer]].<ref>{{cite patent |country=US |number=511713 |status=grant |title=Lift-Bridge |pubdate= |gdate=26 December 1893 |fdate=29 May 1893 |pridate= |inventor=Scherzer, William |invent1= |invent2= |assign1= |assign2= |class= |url=}}</ref>
The '''{{vanchor|rolling lift}}''' trunnion (sometimes a "Scherzer" rolling lift), raises the span by rolling on a track resembling a rocking-chair base. The "Scherzer" rolling lift is a refinement patented in 1893 by American engineer [[William Donald Scherzer]].<ref>{{cite patent |country=US |number=511713 |status=grant |title=Lift-Bridge |pubdate= |gdate=26 December 1893 |fdate=29 May 1893 |pridate= |inventor=Scherzer, William |invent1= |invent2= |assign1= |assign2= |class= |url=}}</ref>

Latest revision as of 18:18, 17 June 2025

Template:Short description Template:BridgeTypePix

A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or double-leafed.

The name comes from the French term for balance scale, which employs the same principle. Bascule bridges are the most common type of movable span because they open quickly and require relatively little energy to operate, while providing the possibility for unlimited vertical clearance for marine traffic.

History

Bascule bridges have been in use since ancient times, but until the adoption of steam power in the 1850s, very long, heavy spans could not be moved quickly enough for practical application.

Types

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File:Vienna Convention road sign Aa-5-V1.svg
A road sign indicating a bascule bridge ahead

There are three types of bascule bridge[1] and the counterweights to the span may be located above or below the bridge deck.

The fixed-trunnion (sometimes a "Chicago" bascule) rotates around a large axle that raises the span(s). The Chicago bascule name derives from the location where it is widely used, and is a refinement by Joseph Strauss of the fixed-trunnion.[2] There are 44 movable bridges in Chicago, however 12 are not in operation. The Jackknife Bascule Bridge in Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay, Ontario) was the first double-decked bascule bridge in the world, accommodating rail on the bottom and road/foot traffic on top. It was designed by Joseph Strauss for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Template:Vanchor trunnion (sometimes a "Scherzer" rolling lift), raises the span by rolling on a track resembling a rocking-chair base. The "Scherzer" rolling lift is a refinement patented in 1893 by American engineer William Donald Scherzer.[3]

The rarer Rall type combines rolling lift with longitudinal motion on trunnions when opening.[4] It was patented (1901) by Theodor Rall.[2][4][5] One of the few surviving examples is the Broadway Bridge (1913), in Portland, Oregon.[4][6]

See also

References

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External links

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