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Rapid Building Technique Gets Scrutiny After Bridge Collapse Accelerated bridge construction, or ABC, involves assembling large sections of a span offsite, then moving the massive pieces into place all at once. AP As the 950-ton concrete bridge section was swung into place over a highway last weekend, Florida International University officials were beaming with pride. The pedestrian bridge on the edge of the Miami-area campus was a signature achievement of the school's Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center, a research group set up with federal funding a few years ago to show how spans could be built faster and cheaper...

Effect of olive waste (Husk) on behavior of cement paste Jordan is a famous country in terms of olive trees agriculture that resulted in a mass production of olive oil products. The huge amounts of olive waste (husk) that resulted from olives processing to produce olive oil represent an environmental challenge in the country. The idea in this paper comes to use olive waste as a partial replacement for Portland cement in cement paste to conserve the environment, reduce cement consumption and increase cost efficiency. The wastes were burned properly in an oven and maintained for 6 h until it was...

The future of bridges Naeem Hussein, global leader for bridge design at Arup, discusses the art and future of this iconic branch of civil engineering. Since the 1990’s there has been considerable development in the design and construction of bridges ranging from boutique footbridges to long span bridges and large sea-crossings. Widespread use of computers and involvement of architects has improved both the engineering quality and aesthetic appeal of bridges. In many parts of the world waterways whether wide rivers, bays and estuaries have meant large detours and/or use of ferries thus severely hindering the movement of people and goods...

Engineers to mimic the human spine in construction of resilient bridge pier A durable, low-maintenance and low-carbon bridge pier inspired by the anatomy of the human spine is being developed in the UK. The bridge pier, which could be built in just one or two days and easily demounted at the end of its useful life, is being developed by researchers at Southampton University with funding from EPSRC. In use, it will be designed to withstand earthquakes and damage caused by traffic and cold weather. Existing bridges, particularly those in colder countries such as the UK, US, Canada and Japan,...

Ditch ground floors to protect buildings from tsunamis, study suggests Research carried out at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has suggested that sacrificing the ground floors of buildings may be the best way to protect them from tsunamis. PhD student Davide Wüthrich conducted a number of experiments using the Swiss university’s Laboratory of Hydraulic Constructions (LCH). A small metal box with numerous openings was used to simulate a building with multiple windows and doors. The box was placed in a 15.5m canal that could replicate tsunamis and storm surges. Wüthrich carried out over 350 different experiments in the test...