Just after I blogged Aug. 2 about the huge 2.5 mile Tobin Bridge over the Mystic River/Boston Harbor and connecting the city with to communuties to the north, bits of concrete and metals shards started falling on the Chelsea Yacht Club damaging some boats. No one was hurt and Massachusetts Port Authority officials said the bridge, which carries 76,000 vehicles a day, is safe although they have stepped up inspections. The bridge turns 60 in 2010 and when traffic is bumper to bumper during rush hour, it gets a bit bouncy especially when an 18-wheeler tanker passes you by.
In May, officials announced the aging structure would be painted. In some cases that can cost more than actual bridge construction. Indeed that was the case 50 miles to the north on virtually the same highway (Route 1/95) with the Piscataqua River Bridge which opened in 1972.
The topic of highway and railroad bridges is a hot one with the Aug. 1 collapse of the I35-W Bridge connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul. Today’s quiz: how many gallons of paint will it take to paint the Tobin Bridge (no Googling allowed)?
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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