3 ms·
Well, it was only yesterday that I learned that having a single set of struts is less stable. I always assumed they were two because they wanted to keep the mid
by 21 8y ago
Well, it was only yesterday that I learned that having a single set of struts is less stable. I always assumed they were two because they wanted to keep the middle of the bridge clear for the road.
This was my exact point: as a Joe on the street you just have to assume that the engineers got it right. A two set strutted bridge can still fail if the struts are two thin, or not of the right kind of steel/concrete. Do you really evaluate all buildings when you enter them, especially the modern weird and unstable looking ones? Have you ever avoided entering a building just because it has a crazy unstable looking design?
- jessaustin 8y agoMaybe my image of this "Joe" upon whom you would look down was a little more knowledgeable than it should have been... Did you never play with an erector set as a kid?
- 21 8y agoMy point is that if I know a bit about a subject, I don't fall into the trap of believing that I can point to "an obvious mistake" which was signed off by multiple professional people working in that area, especially in an area like civil engineering where you have criminal liability for "an obvious mistake". Sure, I would never cross that bridge if I saw those fake stayed cables damaged after a storm, because again, I am in no position to judge the design of the bridge, but it is obviously damaged and I must assume that it is unsafe. Maybe a structural engineer would immediately spot that those stayed cables are fake and wouldn't worry about cross it. But if the bridge looks intact, I would just assume that the engineers knew what they were doing.