Today, bridge construction is a modern engineering process. In fact, Bridge Engineering is an offshoot of Civil Engineering and it involves all the theoretical and practical aspects of bridge construction. From the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of bridges, Bridge Engineering covers all aspects of industry policies, global standards, latest technologies, and key advancements.
Best Books on Bridge Engineering: Our Top Picks
So, if you are an academic professor, researcher, civil engineer, trainee practitioner, university student, or just interested in bridge construction projects, then you might want to acquire the underlisted books on Bridge Engineering.
These professional and career books will teach you everything from the types of bridges, materials used in construction, industry requirements, construction budgets, work ethics and regulations, and practically everything you need to succeed as a professional bridge engineer.
1. Design of Highway Bridges: An LRFD Approach
Although the Design of Highway Bridges is in its third edition, it features the fifth revised edition of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) LRFD Bridge Design Specifications requirements. This book draws heavily on industry requirements and government regulations of construction models in the United States, so you are in luck if you are resident or studying Bridge or Civil Engineering in the USA.
The book contains executable design specifications and real-world construction problems as well as solutions to them. For professionals and students who wish to understand major bridge types and aesthetic designs, they can grab the book to also study bridge photos color insert, and various historical examples of real constructions. It also provides thorough coverage of computer modeling, system analysis, and service calibrations to meet specific needs.
- Author(s): Richard M. Barker and Jay A. Puckett
- Publisher: Wiley
- Current Edition: Third Edition (February 2013)
- Pages: 544
2. Bridge Engineering: Design, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance of Modern Highway Bridges
If you are a civil or bridge engineering student or professional interested in highway bridge structures, project ideation and funding, bridge construction design standards, site survey for bridge construction, and the integrity testing of a newly constructed bridge, then you might want to lay your hands on Bridge Engineering: Design, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance. It covers the construction and management of modern highway bridges in real-world case studies with extensive illustrations and photos for enhanced comprehension.
Since bridge engineering students and professionals would be more interested in the design, construction, and rehabilitation of modern highway bridges, this book also deals with deck joint types, internal forces and load distribution, concrete deck slabs, composite steel members, beams and girders, protecting steel superstructures, contract documents, and management systems among others. This resource is complete with the latest codes, industry standards, and technical development in highway bridge engineering and management.
- Author(s): Jim Zhao and Demetrios Tonias
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
- Current Edition: Fourth Edition (April 2017)
- Pages: 528
3. Engineering Bridges: Connecting the World (Gateway to Engineering)
Since well-illustrated books with color pictures inspire children to develop interests in their future careers, Engineering Bridges: Connecting the World is one book created for all minds. With the simplicity of language, illustrations, and building constructions, this engineering book is suitable for children aged 12 and above and fascinating for adults interested in building bridges.
It is written in simple language and covers various aspects of bridge construction such as designs – arch, beam, suspension, etc. The resource also focuses on types of movable and pedestrian bridges as well as unfortunate bridge disasters that have occurred in recent times. Users can expect to study the difficulties associated with designing unique bridges, the latest technical innovations in construction, as well as the environmental factors that impact bridge design and construction.
- Author(s): Pendred E. Noyce
- Publisher: Tumblehome Inc.
- Current Edition: December 2019
- Pages: 184
4. Bridge Design and Evaluation: LRFD and LRFR
Students and professionals specializing in Civil Engineering with a special focus on structural and transportation engineering will find this Bridge Design and Evaluation book invaluable. It is most suitable for 3-credit and 4-credit course students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and it contains hundreds of practical photographs and illustrations to drive home salient points. These photos underscore theoretical and practical issues related to bridge design, construction, and maintenance.
If you are a student or industry professional interested in Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) and Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR), then you can be sure that this book covers these design and evaluation techniques in comprehensive detail. These techniques are the latest acceptable standards for evaluating the structural design and integrity of modern highway bridges in the United States, and they include complete bridge substructure and superstructure.
- Author(s): Gongkang Fu
- Publisher: Wiley
- Current Edition: First Edition (January 2013)
- Pages: 448
5. Bridge Engineering Handbook: Seismic Design
This is a very comprehensive bridge engineering book with inputs from more than 140 professionals around the world. It is an updated edition that covers five major areas of bridge construction – Fundamentals, Superstructure Design, Substructure Design, Seismic Design, and Construction and Maintenance. With 26 new chapters that were never in the previous edition, this expanded version contains practical bridge designs and building methods from 14 countries.
It features more than 2,500 tables, charts, illustrations, and photographs of bridge designs, construction, rehabilitation, retrofits, and seismic aspects in great detail. While students studying Bridge Engineering would find it invaluable, professional engineers and consultants would find it a suitable reference for practical application on sites. You will benefit greatly from the expertise and experience of two great authors by getting this book; Dr. Wai-Fah Chen is a research professor of civil engineering and Dr. Lian Duan is a senior bridge engineer.
- Author(s): Wai-Fah Chen and Lian Duan
- Publisher: CRC Press
- Current Edition: Second Edition (January 2014)
- Pages: 740
6. The Science of Bridges and Tunnels: The Art of Engineering
At just 32 pages, this book introduces children aged 7 to 18 to the art of engineering and the fundamental science of bridge and tunnel constructions. It is a bridge engineering guide that introduces children and students to the science behind the art of building bridges. It covers the construction of tunnels under the sea and the building of bridges across waters.
For children, students, and practicing professionals, this book opens the eyes of everyone to the basics of bridge engineering, types of bridges, undersea tunnels, and environmental factors that impact bridge and tunnel construction. It contains colorful photographs, descriptive illustrations, and easy-to-read content.
- Author(s): Ian Graham
- Publisher: The Salariya Book Company
- Current Edition: July 2020
- Pages: 32
7. A Textbook of Bridge Engineering
What can you learn from a man involved with the design and construction of the longest suspension bridge in the world (Akashi Kaikyo Bridge)? Shunichi Nakamura’s Textbook of Bridge Engineering introduces students to the art and science of bridge engineering. It focuses on the types of bridges, structural forms of bridges, construction materials, environmental factors impacting construction, bridge rehabilitation and maintenance, and load factors among others.
This Bridge Engineering book resource reflects the academic experience of the author as a university professor and his practical experience on construction sites. It contains the latest advances in bridge construction and renovation with hundreds of illustrations and photos to background learning skills. It also includes seismic bridge design specifications in the United States and around the world. It examines the impact of earthquakes on bridge design and construction and how to repair damaged bridges after seismic activities.
Given his 40+ years of teaching bridge engineering and practicing as a professional in Japan, Nakamura hopes international students and other engineers everywhere will learn how bridge design and construction is done in Japan. This book will open the eyes of young engineers and students to bridge construction in Japan so that they can learn how things are done in the country. This is a resource every aspiring student of civil and bridge engineering in Japan or elsewhere must get to get ahead in their chosen career.
- Author(s): Shunichi Nakamura
- Publisher: Independently published
- Current Edition: March 2020
- Pages: 165
Final Thoughts
Books are an eternal resource that will always supplement your academic knowledge in all things. The 7 best books on Bridge Engineering listed above were curated by our team of specialist editors and recommended for acquisition. They can serve as reference material for practicing professionals and as a quality guide for undergraduate and graduate students. They can be added to your library and they can be gifted to friends studying or practicing Bridge Engineering.
