Suspension bridge types Suspension bridge types A suspension bridge is any type of bridge that makes significant use of tension rather than or in addition to compression. A suspension bridge usually has main cables (else ropes or chains), anchored at each end of the bridge. Any load applied to the bridge is transformed into a tension in these main cables. The earliest suspension bridges had the cables anchored in the ground at either end of the bridge, but some modern suspension bridges anchor the cables to the ends of the bridge itself. The earliest suspension bridges had no towers or piers, but these
Suspension (vehicle) Mini. A number of different types of each have been used: Traditional springs and dampers are referred to as passive suspensions — most vehicles are suspended in this manner. The majority of land vehicles are suspended by steel springs, of these types: Automakers are aware of the inherent limitations of steel springs, that they tend to produce undesirable oscillations, and have developed other types of suspension materials and mechanisms in attempts to improve performance: The shock absorbers damp out the (otherwise simple harmonic) motions of a vehicle up and down on its springs. They also must damp out much of