tallbridgeguy

A good overview on how to make terrain for your sketchup models.

stiles

Sunday night play. I’m sure it has been done before but a bridge pier would probably support underwater turbines. The turbines can be used to make electricity which can heat the bridge deck and illuminate the bridge.

My first attempt, which will not work, shows some of the challenges. Getting water to a turbine, protecting the turbine from debris, changing water levels, etc.

Okayyyy, so heres the thing, I wanted to try something new. So I made a podcast, actually I started a ton of them, threw them away and started again. They all had the same problem, me. Finally I decided to just do it (sorry Nike) and post the result.

Sure its lousy, I am not a professional broadcaster, and trying to make my stream of conscious into a coherent product is difficult.

BUT I did it and posted it, embarrassing as it is….I also learned a lot about wordpress and Audacity. My next step is to try and get it on itunes. Why, just for fun.

Give me some feedback (good and bad) and some questions I can use if I ever decide to do another one.

Seriously you can skip this post…..

tallbridgeguy com podcast 1

I am sitting in class (yes I am a bad student) and started thinking about things I wish I knew when I started designing bridges.

Since I am typing on an Phone, I will ask for help. What are your tips?

1) Ask questions! Brain mining of established designers is a quick way to knowledge but
2) Do the work. It takes a long time to really understand bridges and exposure to a large number of structures is crucial.
3) Don’t accept bridge dogma without checking it yourself. Again a senior engineer might know when to use rules of thumb and standards but make sure you check/agree with them.

I will think about it some more. You bridge designers out there, what are your tips?

Update: Eric had some great tips!

As a young engineer, Thanks for the tips.
Thought I might add:
Learn from mistakes
Always check work before submitting it for review

Someone at my office mentioned this today:
“Simple bridges have simple problems, continuous bridges have continuous problems”

Are bridges the only structures where engineers CAN lead the design and express their creativity?

I realize engineers can design projects where they use new materials, etc. but what other endeavors require a mix of engineering knowledge and aesthetic considerations?

Other than bridges, engineers are typically working in the background.

Seriously are there any other areas?

Wonder how girders get to a bridge? It looks a little unstable….

I am sitting in a five day Bridge Rehabilitation course. Tough to sit that long. So I made a bridge sculpture on break. What do you think about sculpture on bridges? I know Artists love them.

I made a quick introduction to Mathcad for my students. The sound level is fairly low for some reason and it seems overly long….how is that for a sales job?

I was asked by a leader in composite technology to look into the idea of replacing current concrete basement wall systems with FRP panels.

The advantages of the FRP panel system, (maybe)

1. Installation speed – pre-manufactured panels should go in fast and easy.
2. Thermal conductivity – FRP is 5 to 10 times better at keeping the heat in the basement.
3. Carbon footprint – concrete makes up about 5% of the worlds CO2 production, FRP would reduce that by about 20%.

Disadvantages:

1. Cost – higher for FRP but it should pay for itself over the product lifecycle.
2. Flammable – FRP may be less resistant to fires.
3. Unproven technology, weight, etc

This is obvious a quick overview but I think it touches on another issue.

How does new technology gain a foothold in current markets?

This also relates directly to bridges. We have numerous design manuals for concrete and steel but very few, if any, for new materials.

My engineer brain says “concrete is the best solution for everything” but am I being shortsighted in this viewpoint? How do we change engineering minds? (Should we?)

Update: I found a good article on using bamboo in FRP boats. (It is too related.)