I receive a lot of letters, via both snail mail and email, from readers of my books and articles, and much of the correspondence comes with enclosures or attachments containing images of artistic, beautiful, clever, dramatic, elegant, fantastic, and sometimes just downright zany designs. What they all seem to have in common is that the sender of the image wants to share the joy of having come across some device, structure, or system that brings a smile to the face. There is just something about a good design that makes you feel proud to be part of the ever-creative and astounding human race.
Many of my correspondents are avid travelers, and they send me photos from around the world. Several of these peripatetic design enthusiasts are as enamored as I am of beautiful bridges, which I consider examples of pure engineering design, or, as the structural engineer, Princeton professor, and structural critic David Billington would term it, structural art. Unlike buildings, which hide their engineering behind architectural facades, bridges tend to lay bare their structural design features. The lines by which forces are directed and transferred are exposed and open to admiration, exploration, and fascination.
Among the most elegant and daring bridge types are the suspension and cable-stayed designs. Suspension bridges are said to have had their origins in hanging vines, but modern examples are made of steel. As high as skyscrapers their towers soar, supporting suspension cables that drape gracefully over, between, and beyond them, held in place by monumental anchorages.
The roadway of such a bridge can appear to be but a ribbon of steel hung from the cables, and in the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge -- Japan’s outstanding example of the genre -- the main span alone stretches over a mile between the towers. The Brooklyn and Golden Gate bridges, the latter of which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, are among the most iconic of suspension bridges, and they are truly things of beauty. But my far-flung correspondents have sent me pictures of lesser-known spans that rival even these American designs, and I am always happy to have my vocabulary of bridges expanded.
A more recent type is often confused with the suspension, and that is the so-called cable-stayed bridge. This clever alternative arose in its modern form in the wake of World War II, when the superstructure of many a destroyed European bridge lay in the water beside its piers. It became a design challenge to rebuild on the same foundation a bridge with a superstructure that was lighter than the original but capable of carrying a heavier load of traffic without overtaxing the old foundations. The cable-stayed bridge form that arose has its roadway supported by multiple cables that stretch directly between it and the towers. The multiplicity of cables allows for a wide variety of patterns, thereby giving the bridge designer a greater freedom in establishing a distinctive appearance. This makes the bridge type popular with communities seeking a signature structure. Such aspirations typically include also the goal of attracting tourists with cameras, and indeed they will flock to see and photograph a distinctive new design.
Mydesign, thanks for that info. I'm glad to know that India has such a strong program of historical monument preservation, since there are so many periods of its history with beautiful architecture. I learned about those buildings, as well as the amazing civic planning of those ancient cities, many years ago and was impressed by the intelligence and beauty of the designs and of the engineering in such a distant past.
One of the most stunning bridges in the world is the George Washington Bridge, spanning the Hudson between Fort Lee NJ and the upper section of Manhattan, with it's unique exposed tower superstructure, peeking over the trees as you drive south at the end of the Palisades Parkway, or welcoming you home with it's spectacular lighting as an old friend after a long day driving on I-80.
But, what is not well known is that the distinctive design of the GWB was, in fact, an accident: While the massive double-decked bridge was being built, they ran out of money for the exterior stone cladding. So, the question arose, "can we do without it?" and the structural Engineers went back to work, recalculating the loads, and the answer was a resounding YES!
And that is how one of America's most iconic bridges came to be, as fate would have it~
One of the most stunning bridges in the world is the George Washington Bridge, spanning the Hudson between Fort Lee NJ and the upper section of Manhattan, with it's unique exposed tower superstructure, peeking over the trees as you drive south at the end of the Palisades Parkway, or welcoming you home with it's spectacular lighting as an old friend after a long day driving on I-80.
But, what is not well known is that the distinctive design of the GWB was, in fact, an accident: While the massive double-decked bridge was being built, they ran out of money for the exterior stone cladding. So, the question arose, "can we do without it?" and the structural Engineers went back to work, recalculating the loads, and the answer was a resounding YES!
And that is how one of America's most iconic bridges came to be, as fate would have it~
An analysis of what’s needed to implement Design for Disassembly and Design for Recycling results in eight strategies engineers can use to design an intentional end-of-life stage into their products.
Government regulations, coupled with growing consumer sensitivity about data and identity theft, require that data storage organizations demonstrate proper protection and due diligence in protecting sensitive information stored inside datacenter enclosures.
When a crane doesn't have a monitoring system, crane owners schedule service every six months and simply scrap the parts they replace, even if a part has had little use and doesn't need replacing. This can cost thousands.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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