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The Colossus of 1812: An American Engineering Superlative

Abstract

  • This book presents the developments in U.S. bridge building that occurred in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Encouraged by the growing need for bridges and a willingness to invest in such enterprises, American bridge builders became daring and inventive in their designs. The inventiveness led to the development of long-span wooden bridges with laminated members that were used not only for major chords but also for arched ribs in compression.

    This structural evolution in bridge design culminated with the building of the "Colossus" of Philadelphia, a 340 ft, clear span wooden bridge designed and built by Lewis Wernwag in 1812. This book explains the historical context of this superstructure and discusses the Colossus in terms of its wind bracing, abutments, and structural "defects." In addition, a summary of a computer analysis of the bridge is presented. Wernwag's innovative and superlative design for the Colossus captured the imaginations of both romantic and technological minds of the day and influenced American bridge building for some time to come.

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Front Matter
i–vi
    Chapter 1 Introduction
    1–4
    Chapter 2 American Experiments with "Laminated" and Multiple-Membered Arches
    5–18
    Chapter 3 The "Colossus": An Historical Outline
    19–26
    Chapter 4 The "Colossus" Superstructure
    27–35
    Chapter 5 Superstructure: Statics Discussion
    36–37
    Chapter 6 Summary Report on the Computer Analysis of the "Colossus"
    38–38
    Chapter 7 Wernwag's Design in Historical Perspective
    39–41
    Chapter 8 Wind Bracing
    42–42
    Chapter 9 The Abutments and the Structural "Defect"
    43–46
    Chapter 10 Conclusion
    47–52
    FREE
    Index
    61–62
      FREE
      Back Matter
      53–60