iCivilEngineer
Structural Engineering
Bay Bridge bolt failure could have been prevented, metallurgists say
Any one of a dozen reasons could explain why huge high-strength steel rods — 9 to 24 feet long — on the new Bay Bridge snapped. But there are no excuses for allowing the fasteners to break in the first place, say two California metallurgical engineers. “There are plenty of explanations as to why steel [...]
Engineers to Explore Use of Aerospace Materials in Architecture
A group consisting of five of the UK’s top university engineering faculties has been awarded a $1.9 million grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to explore the durability of high-tech composite materials used in the aerospace and automotive industries in an effort to discover their potential use for infrastructure and civil [...]
Researchers See Source of Bone’s Strength, Resiliency
The bones that support our bodies are made of remarkably complex arrangements of materials — so much so that decoding the precise structure responsible for their great strength and resilience has eluded scientists’ best efforts for decades. But now, a team of researchers at MIT has finally unraveled the structure of bone with almost atom-by-atom [...]
Inspectors keep Maryland’s aging bridges safe for traffic
On a recent cold, gray morning, state bridge inspector Van Swift jumped into his office: a 4-by-3-foot white bucket at the end of a 60-foot hydraulic arm anchored to a flatbed “snooper” truck. Working a cluster of joysticks, he swung the bucket away from the truck and over the side of the 800-foot Interstate 70 [...]
Indiana using new concrete to increase bridge life span
Purdue University research is enabling Indiana to improve bridges in the state with a new “internally cured” high-performance concrete. “This material will reduce maintenance costs and allow bridge decks to last longer,” said Jason Weiss, a professor of civil engineering and director of Purdue’s Pankow Materials Laboratory. “Our testing indicates that internally cured high-performance concrete [...]
DSM, Heijmans and Fibercore honored at InfraTech 2013 for A27 composite bridge
On Jan. 25, the European construction and Infrastructure industry tradeshow Infratech 2013 (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) recognized bridge manufacturer FiberCore Europe (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), civil engineering firm Heijmans (Rosmalen, The Netherlands) and DSM Composite Resins (Schaffhausen, Switzerland) for their composite bridge, installed recently on the A27 highway, with an innovation award. The companies installed the 140m/460-ft [...]
Japan tunnel disaster sounds global investment warning
Trillions of dollars need to be spent across the globe just to stand still they warn, adding current fiscal belt tightening is pushing vital repairs dangerously far down the list. “Maintenance work is often neglected because you cannot easily see the urgent need for it,” said Toshihiro Nagahama, chief economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute. [...]
Stabilizing collapsed or shock-damaged buildings
The same was true after the Haiti earthquake in 2010, and after the tsunami in Japan, 2011. Buildings collapse the world over due to shoddy construction, storms, tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as acts of terrorism. Stabilizing the remains of any shock-damaged or collapsed building or structure is of the utmost importance in the [...]
US engineers pinpoint flaws in bridges by analysing rain noise
Engineers in the US have found a way of identifying structural flaws in bridges by analysing the sound they make in the rain. A team from Brigham Young University has adapted a method called impact echo testing to study the noise of raindrops striking a concrete road bridge to detect delamination (the separation of structural [...]
BYU professors invent new way to test bridge safety
Inside a dusty lab in Brigham Young University’s Clyde building sits a 75-year-old slab of concrete that used to carry drivers from one side of Provo to the other. “It comes from the old Center Street viaduct,” engineering professor Brian Mazzeo says as he points to cracks and rusting rebar in the slab. The viaduct [...]
