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Description: |
An introduction to the art of bridge building based on the study of the engineering and technological problems involved in the design, construction, and collapse of bridges from antiquity to the present time. The course includes several case studies of major historical bridges selected for their structural significance. Students learn how to calculate the forces acting on structural elements, how these forces depend on the bridge structural form, how the form itself is conditioned by the structural materials, and how forces are measured with electromechanical instrumentation. The study includes fundamental notions of mechanics, strength of materials, structural behavior, instrumentation failure analysis, and design optimization. Working on teams, students use constructive experimental models as well as computer-aided programs to design, build, instrument, and test realistic bridge projects. This is a self-contained course open to all Rochester undergraduates. |