Lesson 4 on Civil Engineering: Building Bridges, continued — SUPPLEMENT (October 22)

Objectives: (1) To gain a working knowledge of a more specialized type of modern bridge designed by civil engineers; (2) to improve research skills, including discernment of appropriate professional and academic sources; and (3) to improve writing skills in order to clearly express ideas. Neatness counts.

Please read the entire assignment below, before beginning the assignment. Write your answers neatly and legibly.

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTION:

In this SUPPLEMENT, you do the OPPOSITE assignment as you did with the main Lesson. The point is for you to be familiar with BOTH types of bridges, as you may be called upon to assist the less experienced engineering students as they prepare their assignments for the bridge building competition.

  1. If you are currently in the 11th or 12th grade, your assignment is to research the TIED ARCH (BOWSTRING) BRIDGE.
  2. If you are currently in the 9th or 10th grade, your assignment is to research the DECK ARCH TRUSS BRIDGE.

You are only researching one type of bridge today. Explain each point below in detail.

The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double decker bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A truss arch bridge combines the elements of the truss bridge and the arch bridge. The actual resolution of forces will depend upon the design. The photo is New River Gorge Bridge, in Fayetteville, West Virginia.

(A) Draw a simple drawing of this bridge type.

(B) Provide a short definition for this type of bridge. List your sources in brackets. EXAMPLE: [http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Truss_arch_bridge]

(C) Name the key parts/components of this type of bridge. List your sources in brackets; Label these parts/components on your drawing of each bridge type.

(D) If you were assigned to build a scale model of this type of bridge, what materials would you expect to need. Describe the steps you would expect to take to build such a model.

(E) Explain both the pro’s and con’s of this type of bridge;

(F) In what situations would you be likely to recommend using this type of bridge.

(G) In what situations would NOT recommend using this type of bridge.

(H) Explain how the weight on the bridge deck is distributed to the other bridge components. List your sources in brackets.

(I) Provide the names/locations of at least three (3) examples of this type of bridge. Explain in a sentence or two, why this type of bridge was selected for this location/application. List your sources in brackets.

(J) Are you, personally, interested in getting more information about competing in the model bridge building competition?