Power Struggle
The Florida Light and Power Company could have replaced its deteriorating, H-shaped wooden power poles in the Tomoka River with exact duplicates, but they chose to use hybrid steel-and-concrete...
Simplification of Detailed Models of Water Distribution Systems Obtained from GIS Systems
For a long time simplified models have been used to simulate the behaviour of large water distribution networks. Often, simplification has been carried out by removing small diameter pipes...
Friction Factor Choice in Hydraulic Simulation Models: Does It Matter?
(no paper) To model water distribution systems using computer hydraulic simulation, a user is required to select a form of head loss-flow relationship for each pipe in the network. The...
Keeping a Low Profile
The Admiral Clarey Bridge in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, combines fixed and floating bridge elements to span more than 4,500 ft (1,372 m) while hovering just above the harbor waters. The bridge,...
Under Pressure
The Arrowhead East and West contracts for the Inland Feeder water conveyance system being built in California consist of 51,500 ft (15,700 m) of tunnels that cross the San Andreas Fault...
Main Line Mending
Both the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), of Laurel, Maryland, and the Providence Water Supply Board, of Rhode Island, are conducting massive, multimillion-dollar rehabilitation...
Relining a Relic
By the mid-1980s most of the Boston Low Service water supply network had been in operation for more than 100 years�with little regular maintenance. Many of the system's air...
Towering Over Xiamen (Available in Structural Engineering Special Issue only)
Composite structural systems are rapidly becoming the preferred choice for high-rise buildings, due to their high strength and stiffness, large ductility, and convenient, economical construction....
Conquering the Cold
Three projects�a water treatment plant, an airport, and a hydroelectric plant�illustrate how practicing engineering in Alaska differs from working in the contiguous 48 states. Permafrost,...
Conquering the Mountain
Interstate 26 will be the largest and most expensive highway project ever undertaken in North Carolina. When completed in 2002, I-26 will provide safe and efficient interstate passage...
Back from the Brink
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, has been moved to prevent it from toppling into the sea as a result of coastal erosion. Engineers from...
On the Wild Side
Designers of today's roller coasters are constantly looking for new ways to exhilarate riders, from higher drops to tighter turns to launch mechanisms that exert more force...
Advancing Composites (Available in Structural Engineering Special Section only)
Advanced composites, particularly fiber-reinforced polymers, have received considerable attention from bridge owners over the last few years, as cost-effective, durable alternatives to...
Considering the Options (Available in Structural Engineering Special Section only)
In work for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Sverdrup Civil, Inc. performed a seismic evaluation and developed a seismic retrofit strategy for the Poplar Street Bridge...
Domesticating Steel
Residential contractors, nervous about fluctuations in lumber prices and quality, would welcome steel framing into the housing market if the necessary infrastructure were in place. Despite...
Ground Attack
Buried surfaces made of concrete, ductile iron and carbon steel are susceptible to corrosion by the soil that surrounds them, but there are numerous ways that these surfaces may be protected....
Muscle Made of Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) extends service life and increases load-bearing capacity when applied to concrete structures. CFRP is less expensive than traditional strengthening...
Downtown Goes Uptown in Stainless Steel
In an unusual urban planning endeavor, a business district in Houston upgraded infrastructure, and added stainless steel design elements to unify the area. About $11 million was raised...
Probing Pipelines (available only in Geoenvironmental Special Issue)
Inspecting underground pipelines has become easier, more effective and less intrusive through use of sonar, radar, lasers and seismic and acoustic testing. To replace simple visual inspection,...
Framing a Work of Art
One of the most visually unique building designs of the twentieth century, the Guggenheim Museum project in Bilbao, Spain, required an innovative structural engineering solution and pioneering...
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