Roebling Case Study: Niagara Suspension Bridge

One of Roebling’s greatest implementations in the Niagara Falls Bridge was his lattice truss design. Unlike the standard lattice truss systems where the diagonal beams lie over each other, his system interlaced the diagonal beams. This provided the structure with a higher rigidity than what was previously possible using traditional methods. This design was not flawless, however, as it substantially reduced the effectiveness of the diagonals. Roebling thought this compromise was acceptable given that the bridge supports served to buttress the system. Another advantage of the diagonal iron bands is that it avoids wooden joints which are comparatively movable and reduce the resistance of the system. A horizontal giving way (buckling) of the truss level is not possible since at the final point the vertical poles take only pulling tension
Challenges/Drawbacks
The bridge was designed with certain perimeters that did not take into account the future increase in transportation and size of trains.
Conclusion
At the time the design and the execution of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge was revolutionary, however, it’s original design was unable to keep up with the massive surge in transportation and the tremendous increase in the size of