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How does an arch bridge mainly carry its load to the supports?

It sends load outward along the curved arch toward supports at each end.

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  1. Only through hanging vertical cables
  2. Along the arch to end supports ✔
  3. By bending like a flat beam

Why: An arch converts much of the vertical loading into compression along its curve. Its end supports must resist the outward horizontal thrust.

Huh, didn't know that: Stone and unreinforced masonry are well suited to arches because they perform strongly in compression.

The dad joke
The arch bridge stayed ahead of the curve.
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References

Answer: Along the arch to end supports. An arch converts much of the vertical loading into compression along its curve. Its end supports must resist the outward horizontal thrust.

  1. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: Geometry of Bridges teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/2001/5/01.05.09/5
    Arch Bridge-A type of bridge in which its weight is carried outward along the curve to supports at each end.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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