Vocabulary notes

beam bridge балочный мост

cantilever bridge консольный мост

cable-stay bridge вантовый мост

suspension bridge висячий мост

bascule bridge раскрывающийся мост

draw bridge натяжной мост

trestle bridge эстакадный мост

lattice решётка

bowed shape дугообразная форма

abutment опора

EXERCISES

I. Read the text and answer the questions:

1. What are the basic types of modern bridges?

2. When did the era of modern bridge building begin?

3. Where are the movable bridges constructed?

4. What are the main types of movable bridges?

5. What types of military bridges can you name?

6. Where have permanent pontoon bridges been built?

7. How are they composed?

II. Make up a brief summary of the text using questions of ex. I as a plan.

III. Make up reports about the oldest and most famous bridges.

TEST I

I. Give the Russian for:

mortar

durability

to meet industrial requirements

equipment

research engineer

strength of material

solid mechanics

mold

pouring

scaffolding

to bend

brickwork

carpenter

span

construction site

II. Translate into Russian:

1. The properties of the concrete mix depend on the activity of the binding materials.

2. To reinforce ordinary concrete structures is to introduce steel rods in stretched zones of concrete elements.

3. Portland cement is manufactured by burning shale and limestone; aggregates such as sand and crushed stone can be easily obtained.

4. The importance of piled foundations in building and industrial construction as well as in civil engineering has increased considerably over recent years.

5. Concrete beams, floors, roofs, and wall panels may be precast for many types of structures.

6. Being brittle, concrete cannot withstand tensile stresses, and it cannot therefore be used in structures subjected to tensile stresses under load.

7. Construction of the bridge is divided into four elements: the pylon, the back span, the anchor beam and the deck.

8. The purpose of foundation is to carry the load of structure and spread it over a greater area, evenly and without undue settlement, to the ground beneath.

9. Selection of the cement alone doesn’t ensure concrete with the properties desired, which depend also on the choice of aggregates and mixes, the control of the quality of water added to the mix, and on a series of other factors.

10. Various methods of constructing reinforced concrete houses involve extensive use of large sections manufactured in heavily mechanized factories and erected at the site.

Test II

I. Give the Russian for:

to insulate

water supply

tensile stress

curing

shrinkage

prestressed concrete

cracking

beam

bearing structure

cast in-site concrete

reinforcement

bar

density

dead load

binding materials

II. Translate into Russian:

1. Depending on the method of production, piles can be divided into two main types: cast in-situ concrete piles and prefabricated piles.

2. Concrete beams, floors, roofs and wall panels may be precast for many types of structures.

3. The floor beam may be sufficiently strong to carry the load on it, but its deflection may be so great that a plastered ceiling wold crack or the floor would vibrate.

4. The proper thickness for bearing walls depend on the loads and are determined by the safe stress allowed per square inch on the brickwork.

5. Brick basement walls should be at least as thick as the walls above them and never less than 12 in.

6. Until recent years there was a tendency to consider reinforced concrete as a method of construction suited to massive structures.

7. Buildings of reinforced concrete may be constructed with load-bearing walls or with skeleton frame.

8. If the weight of any building exceeds the bearing resistance of the material, either soil or rock on which it rests, the material will give way and the building will sink.

9. The foundations are spread out to distribute the load over the bed so that the safe bearing power of the bed per square foot is not exceeded.

10. Common bricks are very little used at the present time because they do not withstand the moisture and frost as well as stone or concrete.