CE Profession –a small sample of
challenges you could address for society:
Water Quality : Over 2 million deaths in the world
each year from water-borne diseases
Transportation: In US, over 40,000 fatalities
highways each year
Foundations and structural failures: thousands have
died in earthquakes due to inadequate materials,
designs, and construction procedures
CE Profession –Career Opportunity
WHERE do they need these skills?
OK -time for some fun.
Are you eager to be a Civil Engineer??...
Let’s design a bridge….
Before we proceed -check the strength
of materials in tension and compression
In Teams of 2
1)Partner 1 grasp the flat sheet on the long end
with thumb and index finger. Partner 2, do the
same at other end of sheet.
PULL with a steady force -is the flat sheet good in
“Tension” ?
2) Reverse the direction of force , each person
push (compress) the paper with equal force.
What happened?
3) Use any additional equipment on your desk to
improve the strength of the paper in
compression.
Consider other features affecting strength
and stability
Shape
Slenderness
Stiffness
Howe Truss
Pratt Truss
Warren Truss
West Point Designer Software allows you
to design a truss bridge.
You can design your bridge selecting a
joint/member combination.
The GOAL???
Structurally adequate….
and…economical.
$$$$
Cost components
Bridge approach and abutments
Structural elements
Material shape -flat iron or tubes
Material type-carbon steel or high strength
Material size -length and “width”
Connections
COLORSCHEME
TENSION members turn BLUE
COMPRESSION MEMBERS turn RED
The intensity of the color is directly
proportional to the intensity of the loading
UNLIKE MYTH BUSTERS!
YOU CAN TRY THIS AT HOME
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/