imported>Jonesey95: Changing short description from "Upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline; structure above the deck of a ship" to "Upward extension of an existing structure or ship"

2025-08-17T14:36:40Z

Changing short description from "Upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline; structure above the deck of a ship" to "Upward extension of an existing structure or ship"

New page

{{Short description|Upward extension of an existing structure or ship}}
{{about|upward extensions of physical structures such as ships or buildings|other uses|superstructure (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
[[File:MV Ascension in Port Canaveral.jpg|thumb|The superstructure of this cargo ship is in the back and includes a [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat.]]]]
[[File:Mega smeralda bastia.JPG|right|thumb|The [[cruiseferry]] ''[[MS Mega Smeralda|Mega Smeralda]]''. The blue and white part of the ship is the superstructure and the yellow part of the ship is the [[hull (watercraft)|hull]].]]

A '''superstructure''' is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as [[building]]s, [[bridge]]s, or [[ship]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mane |first=Vikrant |date=2023-01-19 |title=Superstructure in Building Construction |url=https://civilengineeringnotes.com/superstructure-in-building/ |url-status=live |website=Civil Engineering Notes |access-date=2023-01-31 |archive-date=2023-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131132127/https://civilengineeringnotes.com/superstructure-in-building/ }}</ref>

=={{anchor|Ships}}Aboard ships and large boats==
On water craft, the superstructure consists of the parts of the ship or a [[boat]], including [[sailboat]]s, [[fishing boat]]s, [[passenger ship]]s, and [[submarine]]s, that project above her main deck. This does not usually include its [[Mast (sailing)|mast]]s or any [[armament]] [[gun turret|turret]]s. Note that, in modern times, turrets do not always carry [[naval artillery]]. They can also carry [[missile launcher]]s and/or [[antisubmarine warfare]] weapons.

The size of a watercraft's superstructure can have many implications in the performance of ships and boats, since these structures can alter their structural rigidity, their displacements, and/or stability. These can be detrimental to any vessel's performance if they are taken into consideration incorrectly.

The height and the weight of superstructure on board a ship or a boat also affects the amount of [[freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] that such a vessel requires along its sides, down to her [[waterline]]. In broad terms, the more and heavier superstructure that a ship possesses (as a fraction of her length), the less the freeboard that is needed.

==Bridges==
The [[span (engineering)|span]] of a bridge, the portion that directly receives the live load, is referred to as the superstructure. In contrast, the [[abutment]], [[pier]]s, and other support structures are called the '[[Substructure (engineering)|substructure]]'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waddell |first=J. A. L. |year=1916 |title=Bridge Engineering |others=Volume 2 |location=New York |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |oclc=366744 |chapter=Chapter LXXX: Glossary of Terms |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bxAkAAAAMAAJ |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bxAkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA2088 |pages=2088 "Structure" and 2089 "Superstructure"}}</ref>

==Earthquake protection==

In order to improve the [[seismic performance|response during earthquakes]] of buildings and bridges, the superstructure may be separated from its [[foundation (engineering)|foundation]] by various [[civil engineering]] [[mechanism (engineering)|mechanism]]s or [[machinery]]. All together, these implement the system of earthquake protection called [[base isolation]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|superstructure}}

[[Category:Building engineering]]
[[Category:Ship compartments]]
[[Category:Shipbuilding]]
[[Category:Nautical terminology]]
[[Category:Bridge components]]

[[de:Suprastruktur]]
[[id:Superstruktur]]
[[tr:Üstyapı]]

Superstructure - Revision history

imported>Jonesey95: Changing short description from "Upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline; structure above the deck of a ship" to "Upward extension of an existing structure or ship"