A ‘Thought Piece’ – for discussion by Gordon Stirrat1, David Blockley2, Kirsty Alexander3 & Sabrina Phillips4 1 Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Bristol, UK. 2 Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol. 3 GP & Chair Bristol North and West Locality Leadership Group at Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG, […]
One way to identify the learning pathways referred to on our sense-making page is to see them as movements or learning journeys on the modified Cynefin diagram as below. For any complex problem there are many stakeholders, many points of view and much uncertainty. What do we do? How do we act? We see four […]
by Neil Carhart The Civil Engineering profession is entering a period of increased focus on complexity, interdependency, the effective delivery of stakeholder outcomes, and for some, the fundamentally broadening of what it means to be a Civil Engineer. Much of this comes from increased urbanisation, demands for sustainability and resilience, digital innovations and a need […]
by Stirrat, GM1, Blockley D I2, Alexander K3, Phillips S4 1 Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Bristol, UK. 2 Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol. 3 GP & Chair Bristol North and West Locality Leadership Group at Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG, UK. 4 Alliance Director (Interim)| Lambeth […]
by Neil Carhart The Civil Engineering profession is entering a period of increased focus on complexity, interdependency, the effective delivery of stakeholder outcomes, and for some, the fundamentally broadening of what it means to be a Civil Engineer. Much of this comes from increased urbanisation, demands for sustainability and resilience, digital innovations and a need […]
Engineering timeline BC Please note that the following table may well be missing some important developments. We would be pleased to receive comments, corrections and suggestions. Engineering Timeline AD 00030 Blast furnace developed during Han dynasty in China. Du Shi used a waterwheel to power bellows to blow air into the bottom of the furnace. […]
What has engineering in common with art and craft? All three are forms of making. Of course understanding and creating a work of art is complex and a constant topic of discussion. A perennial question is what is good and bad art? For an answer we tend to rely on those who profess to know. […]
by David Blockley I am no politician. I did not foresee the rise of so-called ‘populism’ (by that I mean support for the concerns of ordinary people), calls for independence in all of its forms, major shifts such as Brexit and the all too many public financial and sexual abuse scandals. We are all struggling […]
This is what you would see inside the tower if you cut through it and removed the concrete infill. It shows part of the outer steel plate with smaller steel plate stiffeners welded to it on the inside. The tube running from lower left to upper right contains one of the cables. The horizontal stiffening […]
Technically the bridge is a way of taking forces from up in the air down to the ground. So imagine the flow of those forces through the structure. Think of a truck standing on the brdge and how its weight is transmitted through the bridge to the ground.
A foundation has to create a smooth transition allowing the internal forces to flow between the bridge and the ground. Foundations are the ‘bridges’ or links between the bridge and the ground. The picture on the left shows the underside of the approach spans of the Second Seven Crossing near Bristol, England. The brdige bearings […]
The left diagram is a cross section through the leaning tower. You can see the horizontal trusses and the concrete infill. The hole in the middle contains the staircase. The two small elliptical holes on the left are where the cables pass through. They are anchored behind the far side of the tower. The right […]
Symbols:- The wavy line represents the external load on the bridge due to traffic and pedestrians.The full arrows are the external force reactions from the bridge foundations. The dashed arrows are the internal forces within the bridge. Explanation:- The downward external (wavy) load is resisted by an upward axial tension in the cables. However because […]
