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Bridges
The science and art of the world's most inspiring structures
David Blockley
328 pages
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50 black and white illustrations
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196x129mm
978-0-19-964572-5
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Paperback
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26 April 2012
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- Considers the importance of bridges, highlighting examples from across the world, including New York's Brooklyn Bridge, London's Tower Bridge, Sydney's Harbour Bridge, and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge
- Explains how to read a bridge in their different forms, their design and construction, the way the forces flow in arches and beams, and the vital foundations
- Shows how engineers work and think in creating these often huge and iconic structures
- Demonstrates what can go wrong - famous bridge failures, and problems like the 'wobble' of London's Millennium Bridge - and why they occur
- Combines the engineering of how bridges stand up with references to the cultural, aesthetic, and historical importance of bridges
- Includes vignettes of the life and work of key engineers such as Brunel and Stephenson
Bridges touch all our lives - every day we are likely to cross a bridge, or go under one. How many of us stop to consider how the bridge stands up and what sort of people designed and built something so strong?
Bridge building is a magnificent example of the practical and every day use of science. However, the story of bridges goes beyond science and technology, and involves issues relating to artistic and cultural development. After all, bridges are built by people, for people. Bridges can be icons for whole cities; just consider New York's Brooklyn Bridge, London's Tower Bridge, and Sydney's Harbour Bridge. Such bridges can be considered functional public art, as they have the power to delight or be an eyesore.
David Blockley explains how to read a bridge, in all its different forms, design, and construction, and the way the forces flow through arches and beams. He combines the engineering of how bridges stand up with the cultural, aesthetic, and historical importance they hold. Drawing on examples of particular bridges from around the world, he also looks in detail at the risk engineers take when building bridges, and examines why things sometimes go wrong.Readership: General readers interested in bridges and their structure and history, as well students of engineering. Will also be of interest to engineers and construction professionals.
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David Blockley, Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Fellow, University of Bristol Professor Blockley is an engineer and an academic scientist. He has been Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Bristol. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, and the Royal Society of Arts. He has written four other books including The Penguin Dictionary of Civil Engineering (2005).
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"A fascinating book on a fascinating subject" - Professional Engineering Magazine
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1: Bridges are BATS: Why we build bridges
2: Underneath the Arches: Bridges need good foundations
3: Bending it: Bridges need strong structures
4: All Trussed up: Interdependence creates emergence
5: Let it all Hang Down: Structuring using tension
6: How Safe is Safe Enough? Incomplete science
7: Bridges built by people for people: Processes for joined-up thinking
Glossary
Bibliography
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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