*3.1.2.2 Suspension bridges*

The introduction of suspended bridges was an important innovation, due the very large spans length that they can cover. These structures have very large geometries with visual impact on the users, using them as a symbol for the city. Examples of such structures are the Brooklyn Bridge, located in New York and the Golden Gate Bridge, located in California. The overview of the Golden Gate Bridge is shown in **Figure 6**.

The geometry of the suspended bridges consists of two central support towers, the main cables supported between the towers, the secondary cables supported on the main cables, the main deck and supporting girders. As a structure, all cables work as tension elements and support the main deck where the traffic flows.

Due the tension cables, suspended bridges can take advantage of the ability to obtain very large spans without intermediate supports. They are widely used to cross very large rivers where conventional bridges are unable. However, one of the

**Figure 5.** *Forth bridge, Edinburgh, Scotland [5].*

**Figure 6.** *Golden Gate suspended bridge, San Francisco, U.S.A. [6].*
