Curved Structural Steel for Bridge Support

Bridges are commonly designed with bridge support beams. The use of an arch is also a common architectural design practice among bridge builders. Bridge support beams are often cambered to help deflect the load placed on the bridge support surface. Both pedestrian and vehicular bridges use curved steel as a bridge support.

Bridge Support Images

Forming Curved Structural Steel for Bridges

Structural steel curved beams, pipe and tubing (round, square and rectangular) are often used as bridge supports.  Chicago Metal has bent structural steel for bridge supports and bridge support beams since our inception in 1908. Chicago Metal has the most experience in curved steel bridge support and the greatest capacity in the nation to curve heavy structural sections for bridges.  On the world's largest support beam bender, the company can curve bridge beams as large as W44 x 290; on one of the world's largest section benders, the company can curve round pipe and tubing as large as 24in OD, square tubing as large as 16in, and rectangular tubing as large as 20 x 12in.

In addition to curving structural steel for bridges in one plane, the company has curved steel bridge support sections to multiple radiuses and has formed others helically with a multiple radius.

Bridge Support Beam: Value-Added Services

In addition to speed of delivery and capacity, experienced project managers at Chicago Metal Rolled Products can offer time-saving, and cost-saving, bent structural steel suggestions based on the accumulated curved steel bridge support experience that the company has acquired over more than 100 years.  Chicago Metal keeps copious records of what can and cannot be done when it comes to curving structural steel.

Bridge Support: Applications for Bent Structural Steel

With the new acceptance of cold-curving of bridge support stringers by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), bridge engineers will increasingly appreciate that cold cambering of bridge support beams is not only safe but also economical and readily available in short order. Furthermore, as state DOTs (Departments of Transportation) develop both standard designs and Accelerated Bridge Construction Standards (ABC), curved steel bridge support beams will increasingly become the material and style of choice in bridge support beam design.