...At one point in her rather long life, Beatrice being the naïve girl she was thought she had the perfect life. She had a loving husband, a roof over her head and a great prospect for a large family. Well, that was then; this is now. After 29 years of marriage, her husband had turned into a monster. Beatrice carefully tended to the wounds attained on her left cheek the other night. The water boiled over – causing the cooker to be clouded by the salty foam. She waited in the kitchen with its burning stove that was cooking 4 pots at a time - exuding smoke from all four corners of the cooker, and making the Kitchen seem almost surreal. The room all of the sudden seemed quite dark and claustrophobic; Beatrice, unable to handle the humidity reached for the rectangular shaped window. There she perched: with her wavy, blonde locks seeping out of her roots resembling gold dust, her beautiful white smile, and an hourglass figure to rival Marilyn Monroe’s. Catherine’s extreme beauty caught Beatrice’s unwilling attention. Her eyes grew cold and wild all of the sudden as she noticed Eddie’s admiration for Catherine. She got out the colander whilst still staring at both Eddie and Catherine having a conversation through the window. She reached her hand into the cobwebbed cupboard noticing her sleeves imprinted with various markings of the day’s activities as a housewife; Eddie’s housewife. Beatrice quickly rolled up her sleeves abandoning the colander mid-way through the cupboard....
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...One Split Second The day began with a flood of excitement, as everyone rushed around trying to pack. My daughter and her college roommate had arrived home last night; at 7 am, I banged on the walls and said “get up, get up, you have two hours and we are out the door, pack to be gone for four days”. Seven hours later we were sitting on a 17th floor balcony of our condo, overlooking the beach, the place that was to be our home for the next four days. Sometime following, unpacking, a walk on the beach, dinner, some shopping and making plans for the next four days we finally found our way to bed and some much needed rest. My pillow, I carry with me everywhere, felt inviting and familiar as my head laid to rest upon it. The soothing smell of jasmine told me, it was time to rest. The distance sound of the song “I Love Rock N Roll” caused me to stir from my slumber, but not enough to wake me. Then, there it was again piercing through the fog of my sleep “Just take those old records off the self” somewhere through my sleepy fog I realized it was my phone, my baby brother’s signature ringtone. I fumbled to find the little green button that I needed to push to answer, and I noticed the clock was glowing 4:32 am. That is when my stomach dropped, and I knew something was wrong, with trembling hands I pushed the little green button, and in that one split second my life was changed forever. Expecting to hear my brother’s voice on the other end all I heard was sobbing, the kind that sounds...
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...I must cross the Horace Wilkinson Bridge. One day while crossing the Horace Wilkinson Bridge, I was trapped in 5 o’clock traffic; the bridge was jammed packed with vehicles that were jammed packed with people. I couldn’t help but wonder would this bridge possibly collapse from all the weight it was holding so I decided to turn on the radio to ease my mind. As if a strange act of fate, a song entitled Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Aretha Franklin came on and I took it as a sign to research bridge design and the differences of bridges. In our society, we no longer recognize the importance of bridges, so for my project I decided to stretch the stress of bridges by testing the strength of different variations of bridges. There are multiple reasons why I feel that our society doesn’t cherish bridges as much as we should, such as the fact that I have personally witnessed people littering on the bridge as if it as nothing important to modern society which is exactly the opposite of the truth of the matter. Bridges serve a great cause in our society and are modern marvels that I metaphorically refer to as the key to a modern Pangaea based on the way they are connecting our world, even if bridges are not connecting continents, and who knows, maybe that could be a possibility one day. Bridges are structures that serve the purpose of helping provide a way to maneuver over an obstacle, which can be anything from a stream to a river or a road. Bridges have been a key part of the world’s...
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...simple bridge truss was the first structure I ever analyzed. The simple combination of beams that could hold cars, trains, and trucks over long spans of water fascinated me. Having the tools to analyze the loads on the truss further increased my interest in structures. I encountered the bridge in a textbook for my first engineering class. Knowing that the professor, Mr. John Doe, was a tough teacher, I asked him for the textbook so I could study and get ready for the class over the summer. Just arrived from Belize, I was determined to succeed. In class we learned about forces on simple members and then we put the members together to form a simple truss. At this point I had almost decided that structural engineering was the career for me. From there the class just took off: We went on to frames, distributed loads, considered friction; basically we were incorporating real world considerations into structural members. I loved the practical, problem solving aspects of the field. At UC my classes were even more advanced. In my analysis and design classes, I especially enjoyed studying steel design because we not only learned the use of the load resistance factor design but also applied that knowledge — I designed a four-story building. The professor was a practicing engineer, and he always related the subject to real life steel structures he had engineered, for example, the SB Medical Center, an all steel building with a base isolated campus. This is the kind of project on...
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...tunnels and/or bridges. Examine any safety procedures and/or facilities that could reduce the opportunity of traffic accidents inside a road tunnel (and/or bridge). You can include case study(s) on what actually took place when an accident occurred inside a tunnel (and/or bridge) either in Hong Kong or elsewhere. Describe the disaster and the measures taken to alleviate the resulting damage and inconvenience. You can also describe any safety issues related to tunnels and/or bridges that you think interesting. 2. Describe the facilities available in the pedestrian crossings in Hong Kong (or elsewhere) that would facilitate disabled and/or handicapped people (visually disabled, physically handicapped, or even elderly people) to cross the road more safely or more conveniently. Evaluate the effectiveness of these facilities. 3. The car industry is an important industry in many countries. Study and report on one car manufacturing company of your choice in a Western (European or American) country. You can discuss any relevant aspects of the company like its history, its product lines (types of vehicles it produces), its business, characteristics of its products (like prices, safety, style etc.), the engineering/technology of its manufacturing, the economic contribution of the company to the country it belongs, etc. Anything about the company and its products that you feel interesting can be discussed. 4. Report in details the construction of one bridge or tunnel...
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...Wharton1 David Wharton Dr. Northcutt ENG 1020-04 April 10, 2012 “What a Beautiful Bridge” In the writing of A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway employs symbolism in many forms. Hemingway uses water in various states throughout the progression of the novel such as the use of rain and rivers to symbolize life and love as well as death and danger. Hemingway uses symbols to allude to the events that will occur in the coming chapters of the novel if the reader is keen to heed them. Hemingway’s use of the “bridge” and the rivers they cross, represent the lives of people and the hazards people encounter when they approach and cross a bridge in an effort to reach what is waiting on the other side. The novel opens with a beautiful description of life and of living our lives. “In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels”(3). Life’s river bottom is littered with small problems and with large problems. When things are going well, our lives are blue skies and sunshine and we are eager to have life pass rapidly. Hemingway is making a stand on the political atmosphere that was prevalent in America in the late 1920’s and one which can be applied in contemporary America as well. I must Wharton2 disagree with Thomas P. McDonnell, who wrote in an article for the...
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...Storytelling Speech - “A Land-loving Catfish” Once there was a boy who used to spend his day doing different chores around John Mauk’s country store. IButt2014-07-19T17:13:00.25IPause after every full stop. -- He used to prepare corn,IButt2014-07-19T17:12:00.25IShort pause after every comma. -- chop wood,-- go fishing -- and do many other kinds of things there. -- One day he was fishing in a pond, which was a quarter of a mile away from the store. Instead of a fishing rod, he was using a piece of wrapping thread and a cane pole with a big, red worm attached to it to attract the fish. He used to catch a lot of fish that way, and IButt2014-07-19T17:13:00.26IWith excitement sometimes would be lucky to catch more than one fish with the same worm! That day, he caught about nine to thirteen fish in a row, but then all of a sudden, he could not catch any more of them, no matter how long he waited holding his pole in the water. He decided to give up and leave with the fish that he had caught. IButt2014-07-19T16:37:00.26ISay this with excitement plus shock But when he turned around to pick them up, he was shocked to see them all dead and stiff, because they were left to lie there in the hot sun for about two hour. However, the boy noticed that one of the fish was moving and making strange sounds. He was surprised to see IButt2014-07-19T16:37:00.26IWith shock in voice that it was alive unlike the others. He picked it up and dipped it in the water a number of times. He then picked...
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...as the construction of engines, bridges, mines, ships and chemical plants. John Smeaton was the first self-proclaimed civil engineer ,and is often regarded as the father of civil engineering. He was English and helped establish the design for bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. Smeaton designed the third Eddystone lighthouse (1775-59) where he pioneered the use of ‘hydraulic lime’ (a form of mortar which will set under water) He is important in the history, rediscovery of, and development of modern cement, because he identified the compositional requirements needed to obtain ‘hydraulicity’ in lime. The role and application of engineering science is important based on inventing and creating new ideas. It is from these roles in engineering science , we develop and enhance answers to our problems. we do this such that experiments are carried out and prove whether or not our predictions were made accurately or inaccurately. Engineering science has a huge role in the history of bridges. Engineering Science has matured bridges into being one of the best creations man has designed. Engineering Science allows engineers to make bridges towards their intention and determine variables which can produce better bridges. The role engineering science has is vital in any form of engineering The first bridges were from nature and can be as simple as a tree falling in a stream or river. The values needed in a good bridge such as the weight a bridge can hold or the length needed can...
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...become an understatement to solely say “things have changed.” Among all these extravagant developments comes the marvel of the bridge. It's safe to say that even centuries ago, the early humans must have created bridges from the simple material they found surrounding them in their all natural environment. Whether it was a 3 by 10 foot log they had so carefully placed across the water way, or piles of smaller wood, closely intertwined and lined by the strongest of branches, the primal people had found a way to gather and hunt across streams and rivers. As the years and population had increased, so had the development and appearance of the bridge. Because of great urbanization and city growth, there was a high demand for a solution to travel in a quicker and more efficient way. One of the cities that rapidly boomed was Chicago, now the third most populous city in the United States. This growth mostly had to do with the rail road and the Chicago River. Because Chicago was fortunate enough to have a natural waterway entwined in the city, it was essential to begin the building of bridges throughout. As architects and engineers from all over gathered to create bridges both beautiful and useful, the city of Chicago continued to grow. Although used by millions of people each year, most Chicago natives and tourist fail to see the true importance of the bridges in this beautiful city. Overlooked is the importance of the...
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...Task 6: Crash Testing Plan The final bridge railing systems should be tested according to the MASH TL-3 or TL-4. In TL-3 for example, two tests are recommended: A 2425-lb vehicle impacting the critical impact point (CIP) of the length of need (LON) of the barrier at a nominal impact speed and angle of 62 mph and 25 degrees, respectively. This test investigates a barrier’s ability to successfully contain and redirect a small passenger vehicle. A 5000-lb pickup truck impacting the CIP of the LON of the barrier at a nominal impact speed and angle of 62 mph and 25 degrees, respectively. This test investigates a barrier’s ability to successfully contain and redirect light trucks and sport utility vehicles. In TL-4, in addition to the two tests addressed above, another test should be done in order to investigate the barrier’s ability to successfully contain and redirect single unit trucks: A 22000-lb single unit truck impacting the CIP of the LON of the barrier at a nominal impact speed and angle of 56 mph and 25 degrees, respectively. From these tests, we are looking for the best...
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...Problems: * Great in Length * 1,000 Feet approaches * Each end had these approaches which in turn added to the already towering distance of the bridge * Very Narrow * Center Span 2,800 Feet * The center span was the most narrow bridge of it kind * Traffic Congestion * One lane traffic in each direction * Location * Narrowing Valley served as wind tunnel * Environmental Constraints Overlooked * Wind gust create wind tunnel effect * Key structural components * Open girders substituted for solid girders * Critical structural design factors * Staic vs. dynamic * Load +bulk & mass (wind effects) * Last Minute Decisions * Local engineer substituted key structural components Solutions: * Shorten the approaches * Shortens the length of the bridge * Widen the center span * Creates more mass and bulk * Lessens the Narrow effect * Double or triple the traffic lanes in each direction * Allows traffic to flow more smoothly even if a vehicle is blocking a lane * Allows for future maintenance * Less down time for bridge traffic * Research team to survey the area for wind velocity * Velocity plays a huge role in determining a beneficial placement for the bridge * Possible better locations with less possible problems * Research team to predict highest possible wind velocity to determine mass needed to sustain * This prediction can allow for contingency...
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...Imagine you are driving at night on a winding road. The snow is coming down and you cannot see, as you begin to approach a curve. You make out dim brake lights of traffic ahead, but despite the driving conditions, you feel safe. How can you feel safe under these conditions, you ask. Very easily, the way of the future will be Scott Brusaw’s Smart Road. Owned by Virginia Department of Transportation, the Smart Road will lead to safer highways and vehicles, more conventional travel, and less stress behind the wheel. Researchers will get to apply their creative ideas to real-life situations in a low-risk environment, while business developers could gain profitable partnerships and new projects. The Smart Road is a rare, state-of-the-art, full-scale, closed test-bed research facility which features weather-making capabilities, an experimental lighting system, pavement markings, road weather information systems, a signalized intersection, a differential GPS system, road access and surveillance, and a computer-equipped control center. It is the first of its kind with a long history and possibly an even longer future. It all started when the idea and the proposal for a connecting road from Blacksburg to Interstate 81 was introduced in 1985. Roanoke Mayor Noel Taylor favored the idea introduced by Roanoke-Virginia Tech Advisory Council in 1986. The following year the Department of Transportation was asked to consider short and long-term answers for traffic jamming along Route 460. Governor...
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...failures in the world today and the lack of maintaining a real world application towards the structural stresses that take hold of structures that are built today and three – quarters of a century ago. These structures are designed and tested for weaknesses using computer simulation and this seems to be a problem that has caused loss of life as well as large financial loss. In order to keep these disasters from occurring the investment in a computer monitoring system, which would monitor the structural integrity of various buildings and bridges, would be beneficial from a safety and financial stand point. The implementation of this system should be begun immediately to prevent any further happenings. Further research into perfecting this system needs to be a top priority due to the fragile nature of the problem. INTRODUCTION By investing in a computer monitoring system that would monitor the structural integrity of structures, like bridges and buildings, the benefit would be much more valuable in the long run by saving lives and money. Instead of waiting for a disaster and then sending experts out to the scene to find out what happened there needs to be a monitoring system to give warning before the disaster even comes to pass. This technology would be a lot like using seismographs. The system would have to be wireless and would connect to a hub within a certain parameters. These hubs would be sporadically built in areas around the world. The individual hubs would...
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...to complete a toothpick bridge. Some of the requirements were that the entire bridge had to span 12 inches apart and 2 inches off the surface, with the support of piers. While we worked together with our teammates we got to know more about the people we are working with. We researched different structures of other bridges in class as well as at home. We also gathered information on how we would use the supplies we are provided to promote good strength on the base of the bridge. The purpose of labs are: to work well with a good amount of people in a group, gain better knowledge of the scientific method, and to also have fun. Working with other people gave me more ideas on how to construct different models of bridges. To gain better knowledge and understanding of the scientific method, actually writing it out and following the procedure helped. The lab was very fun, it wasn’t like any ordinary class where you’d take notes and read from a book. Our hypothesis stated, if the pillars and base were thick and strong then it would hold more books and not break. The materials we used were also apart of the requirements and constraints. We were only given a certain amount of toothpicks and other than that just glue and our open mind. Steps throughout lab: 1) Group drafted blueprint 2) Got materials from teacher 3) Start constructing the pillars/piers of the bridge 4) Let pillars sit and dry while brainstorm more ideas on other structures of bridges 5) Buy extra toothpicks...
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...Senior Design Project Submittal May 4 2012 Bleser Park Pedestrian Bridge The following is a 2011-2012 Senior Design Project report for the Fenn College of Engineering at Cleveland State University. Senior Design Project Submittal 2012 Table of Contents 1.0.0 Introduction........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1.0 1.2.0 2.0.0 2.1.0 2.2.0 2.3.0 2.4.0 Objective .................................................................................................................................. 5 Group Members ...................................................................................................................... 5 Project Description ..................................................................................................................... 6 Assignment .............................................................................................................................. 6 Existing Bridge ........................................................................................................................ 7 Proposed Bridge ..................................................................................................................... 8 Owner Requirements ............................................................................................................. 9 2.4.1 Safety .....................................................
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