One amazing structure that many people in industrialized countries take for granted because of the exposure is bridges. Bridges are built for many reasons such as simply the connection of two places to make the journey shorter and simpler, or for economic reasons. They are also one of the most thought-out structures: because of the weather, the wear-and-tear of cars, people and other elements, and because of their purpose, it can take decades just to plan out the basic structure of the bridge. One place in which all three elements need to be considered highly when building any structure with the magnitude of a bridge is Japan. Because Japan obtains almost 60 inches of annual rainfall and is a hotspot for hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes, the bridges in the area need to be extremely well planned out in order for them to be able to carry out its purpose. One of the most recent bridges build in Japan that exemplifies these ideas is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. This bridge, which opened in 1998, took ten years to build and upon its completion, acquired three world records. (www.tfhrg.gov) The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, that connected the Kobe area of the main island of Honshu with the Awaji-Shima area of the Shikoku island, became not only the world’s longest suspension bridge, but also the tallest, and was the most expensive to build. The final measurements of the bridge were 12,828 ft., the length of four Brooklyn Bridges, and each tower measured 928 ft. tall. (www.pbs.org) The Akashi-Kaikyo bridge’s materials, labor, time, and machinery cost Japan an incredible $4.3 billion. (www.pbs.org) Amazingly, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge ended up being an extra three feet longer than originally planned.
In January of 1995, the Great Hanshin Eart...
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... carry out, thousands of workers, and over 100 contracting companies to build. Throughout the entire process of building this bridge, only six people were injured during construction and there were no deaths and set yet another record: the world-class safety record. (www.tfhrg.gov) This bridge as a whole was a remarkably well planned out both safety-wise and with the preliminary blueprints of everything from the structure to the actual building. Although this bridge set world records and measured almost a quarter mile longer than the StoreBaelt, the East Bridge in Denmark, contractors are already starting to plan another bridge in Japan that is set to be nearly a mile and a half long. This shows that although there is a massive amount of planning and work put into every bridge, each one opens up new doors to places that would otherwise be nearly impossible to reach.
Without a concrete reason for the bridge's failure, every suggested reason was researched until proven incorrect” (Silver). There were many reasons that were suggested, but could not be proven correct due to the collapse. Wikipedia states that “A small crack was formed through fretting wear at the bearing, and grew through internal corrosion, a problem known as stress corrosion cracking.” The failure of the bridge was caused by a defect in one of the eye-bars on the north side causing the other side to collapse as well. “Stress corrosion cracking is the formation of brittle cracks in a normally sound material through the simultaneous action of a tensile stress and a corrosive environment.
Have you ever wondered why both the Panama Canal and the Great Wall of China are such iconic land marks for the countries they are in? It’s because of the magnitude of effort that took to create such massive structures. Hard work, blood, tears, sweat and certainly patience played part in the creation of such marvels. However the purpose behind each structure and the challenges builders faced during their construction is what truly sets them apart.
One of cons of the safety zone is by the coast guard shutting down the movement of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is that they would put people out of work that depend on the waterway to get there jobs done on the daily bases, like fishermen, cruise ships and shipping companies. This could cause for companies to be faced with economic trouble, which might jeopardizes the companies’ future. With people jobs on the line the safety zone cannot go on for along period of time without causing trouble, this would cause for the people working on the bridge to rush and leave the bridge incomplete or half done. I think the Safety Zone would be the best way to go to complete the bridge project successfully without having any complication or fear of someone tampering with the bridge.
When designing large structures such as bridges, ships, dams and various modes of transportation, engineers must determine what methods and materials should be used in order to design, construct, and maintain the structure for a long period of time. A strict code of ethics must be followed in order to reduce any possible damages and tragedies. Though this process is used to try and minimize any design errors and possible failures, unknown factors such as population increase, natural disasters, and insufficient manpower can cause the structure to fail. Such is the case for the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge and the Mianus River Bridge.
Skyscrapers are amazing! Architectural defeats. Wonders of the world. How are they able to withstand even the strongest of winds and earthquakes?
Since humans are mortal, the sensation of pain is integral to the human condition. On one hand, pain alerts the body of a danger that is threatening its overall well-being; however, pain can be used as a means of torture to break the psyche or willpower of someone. As Lancelot races to save his queen from the evil Méléagant, he encounters the Sword Bridge. This Bridge is notorious for its slender construction, making it impossible for one
Before the Quebec Bridge was constructed the only way to reach the north shore at Quebec City from the south shore of the St. Lawrence River was by boat. The bridge was to be a feat of engineering and would greatly increase the efficiency of crossing the river. In 1903 a six million dollar bond was passed for the construction on the bridge to begin. The first mistake made was choosing an inexperienced engineer, Edward Hoare to lead the project. Although he was a distinguished engineer he had never worked on a cantilever bridge that was longer than 90 meters and the Quebec Bridge today spans about 987 meters. Eventually Theodore Cooper replaced Hoare as chief engineer.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was possibly the luckiest engineering catastrophe if there ever was one. Despite the very real danger, no human life was lost and engineers and the human race alike are better off for it.
People who thinks of Thornton Wilder primarily in terms of his classic novella “Our Town,” The Bridge of San Luis Rey will seem like quite a switch. For one thing, he has switched countries; instead of middle America, he deals here with Peru. He has switched eras, moving from the twentieth century back to the eighteenth. He has also dealt with a much broader society than he did in “Our Town,” representing the lower classes and the aristocracy with equal ease. But despite these differences, his theme is much the same; life is short, our expectations can be snuffed out with the snap of a finger, and in the end all that remains of us is those we have loved.
At the time of its construction and destruction it ranked the third longest bridge after the Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge. DESIGN AND
He details a long history of ill repair and modifications with the latest modification to the bridge, before it’s collapse taking place in 1997, but still leaving it inadequate to support it’s ever increasing load. From 1967 to 1997 the daily traffic load on the bridge nearly tripled, from 60,000 vehicles per day, to approximately 160,000 per day at the time of it’s collapse. The increased traffic load, along with the increased weight from subsequent modifications, outpaced the bridge’s structural design (LePatner,
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is perhaps the most notorious failure in the world of engineering. It collapsed on November 7, 1940 just months after its opening on July 1, 1940. It was designed by Leon Moisseiff and at its time it was the third largest suspension bridge in the world with a center span of over half a mile long. The bridge was very narrow and sleek giving it a look of grace, but this design made it very flexible in the wind. Nicknamed the "Galloping Gertie," because of its undulating behavior, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge drew the attention of motorists seeking a cheap thrill. Drivers felt that they were driving on a roller coaster, as they would disappear from sight in the trough of the wave. On the last day of the bridge's existence it gave fair warning that its destruction was eminent. Not only did it oscillate up and down, but twisted side to side in a cork screw motion. After hours of this violent motion with wind speeds reaching forty and fifty miles per hour, the bridge collapsed. With such a catastrophic failure, many people ask why such an apparently well thought out plan could have failed so badly?(This rhetorical question clearly sets up a position of inquiry-which iniates all research.) The reason for the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is still controversial, but three theories reveal the basis of an engineering explanation. (Jason then directly asserts what he found to be a possible answer to his question.)
In her essay,”Importance of the Golden Gate Bridge,” Stephanie Stiavetti suggest that “It maintained this point of pride for nearly 25 years until the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. Today, this historic San Francisco landmark holds its place as the second largest suspension bridge in the country, behind Verrazano Narrows.” Back then, experts thought that it would be impossible to build a bridge across the tides and currents in that area because strong currents and tides would make construction extremely difficult and dangerous. The water is over 500 feet deep in the center of the channel, and along with the area's strong winds and thick fog, the idea of building a bridge there seemed nearly impossible. Despite all of the problems of building a bridge across the Golden Gate, Joseph Strauss was named as lead engineer for the project. Construction began January 5, 1933, and in the end cost more than $35 million to
The Structure of the Millennium Bridge Introduction In June 2002 the Millennium Bridge was opened to the public. This was going to be an extraordinary day for engineers as new designs and structures had to be used to keep to the specifications of the job. Although with most bridge structures there is always a degree in movement, the Millennium Bridge had large groups crossing the bridge at one moment in time, this then caused a greater than expected sideways movement. This made people feel uncomfortable and even sick walking across the bridge.
Japan has many wonders that the general public does not know of. Most Americans only know about the past wars of Japan, therefore they don’t know the true history of the people that life there. Several wonders of Japan include its History, Government, Geography and Topography, Cultural Customs and Economy and Trade.