Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that cures over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water,and is the most widely used building material. Its usage worldwide,ton for ton,is twice that of steel,wood,plastics,and aluminium combined.
Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and joints' that create the form and shape of human-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and calculate the stability,strength,rigidity and earthquake-susceptibility of built structures for buildings and nonbuilding structures. The structural designs are integrated with those of other designers such as architects and building services engineer and often supervise the construction of projects by contractors on site. They can also be involved in the design of machinery,medical equipment,and vehicles where structural integrity affects functioning and safety. See glossary of structural engineering.
Rebar,known when massed as reinforcing steel or reinforcement steel,is a steel bar used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid the concrete under tension. Concrete is strong under compression,but has low tensile strength. Rebar significantly increases the tensile strength of the structure. Rebar's surface features a continuous series of ribs,lugs or indentations to promote a better bond with the concrete and reduce the risk of slippage.
A road surface or pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic,such as a road or walkway. In the past,gravel road surfaces,macadam,hoggin,cobblestone and granite setts were extensively used,but these have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete laid on a compacted base course. Asphalt mixtures have been used in pavement construction since the beginning of the 20th century and are of two types:metalled (hard-surfaced) and unmetalled roads. Metalled roadways are made to sustain vehicular load and so are usually made on frequently used roads. Unmetalled roads,also known as gravel roads,are rough and can sustain less weight. Road surfaces are frequently marked to guide traffic.
Charles "Chuck" Marstiller Vest was an American mechanical engineer and academic administrator. He served as President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from October 1990 until December 2004. He succeeded Paul Gray and was succeeded by Susan Hockfield. He served as president of the National Academy of Engineering from 2007 to 2013.
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space,supported on only one end. For small footbridges,the cantilevers may be simple beams;however,large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from structural steel,or box girders built from prestressed concrete.
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss,a structure of connected elements,usually forming triangular units. The connected elements,typically straight,may be stressed from tension,compression,or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. There are several types of truss bridges,including some with simple designs that were among the first bridges designed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A truss bridge is economical to construct primarily becauses it uses materials efficiently.
Glued laminated timber,commonly referred to as glulam,is a type of structural engineered wood product constituted by layers of dimensional lumber bonded together with durable,moisture-resistant structural adhesives so that all of the grain runs parallel to the longitudinal axis. In North America,the material providing the laminations is termed laminating stock or lamstock.
Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit is a personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Morgantown,West Virginia,United States. The system connects the three Morgantown campuses of West Virginia University (WVU) and the city's downtown area.
An orthotropic bridge or orthotropic deck is typically one whose fabricated deck consists of a structural steel deck plate stiffened either longitudinally with ribs or transversely,or in both directions. This allows the fabricated deck both to directly bear vehicular loads and to contribute to the bridge structure's overall load-bearing behaviour. The orthotropic deck may be integral with or supported on a grid of deck framing members,such as transverse floor beams and longitudinal girders. All these various choices for the stiffening elements,e.g.,ribs,floor beams and main girders,can be interchanged,resulting in a great variety of orthotropic panels.
James Barney Marsh was an American engineer and bridge designer. He patented a new design for arch bridges. Marsh gave Archie Alexander,the first African-American to graduate as an engineer from Iowa State University,his first job. Marsh worked in the bridge building business for over 50 years,and several of his bridges are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Philippi Covered Bridge,on the Tygart Valley River,is the main local landmark and historical icon of Philippi,West Virginia,USA.
The history of structural engineering dates back to at least 2700 BC when the step pyramid for Pharaoh Djoser was built by Imhotep,the first architect in history known by name. Pyramids were the most common major structures built by ancient civilizations because it is a structural form which is inherently stable and can be almost infinitely scaled.
Cellular confinement systems (CCS)—also known as geocells—are widely used in construction for erosion control,soil stabilization on flat ground and steep slopes,channel protection,and structural reinforcement for load support and earth retention. Typical cellular confinement systems are geosynthetics made with ultrasonically welded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) strips or novel polymeric alloy (NPA)—and expanded on-site to form a honeycomb-like structure—and filled with sand,soil,rock,gravel or concrete.
Concrete has relatively high compressive strength,but significantly lower tensile strength. The compressive strength is typically controlled with the ratio of water to cement when forming the concrete,and tensile strength is increased by additives,typically steel,to create reinforced concrete. In other words we can say concrete is made up of sand,ballast,cement and water.
The West Washington Street Bridge is a historic concrete arch bridge in Muncie,Indiana,United States. It spans the White River,connecting Washington Street and Meeks Avenue. It was designed by Charles Armintrout,who was the Delaware County Engineer at the time. The bridge has four elliptical arch spans. The steel reinforcements of the arch rings extend deep into the bridge's piers and abutments,allowing the piers to be substantially thinner. This design was inspired by the works of Edwin Thacher. Although this bridge is made of concrete,a series of recessed panels,which have the aggregate exposed,provides texture and contrast.
This glossary of structural engineering terms pertains specifically to structural engineering and its sub-disciplines. Please see glossary of engineering for a broad overview of the major concepts of engineering.
Andrew McCoy "Mac" Warner is an American attorney,veteran,and the current West Virginia secretary of state. He announced his candidacy for Governor of West Virginia in 2024 on January 10,2023.
The Route 46 Passaic River Bridge can refer to a number of bridges that carry U.S. Route 46 (US 46) over the Passaic River in Northern New Jersey. US 46 was originally developed as Route 6 under the direction of Morris Goodkind who was chief engineer of the New Jersey Highway Department from 1922 until 1955.
Ervin George Bailey was an American mechanical engineer,founding president of Bailey Meter Company,manufacturer of industrial meters and controls,and inventor. He was recipient of the 1942 ASME Medal,and served as 67th president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
