Structures Technology Foundations Stuarts Draft High School Duane A. Burtner, Instructor

INTRODUCTION The ancient Romans were the world's first great structural engineers. They perfected the arch for graceful looking strong bridges. Their huge Coliseum was finished in 80 A.D. and held 45,000 spectators. The Romans also dug tunnels several miles long and built over 50,000 miles of roads. Some of these roads are still in use after 2,000 years.

BRIDGES Stone made beautiful bridges, but iron is stronger. The world's first iron bridge, con­structed in 1779 by Abraham Darby, spans the River Severn near Coalbrookdale in west central England. The 196-foot, cast iron bridge, assembled with large pins - not bolts or rivets, is still in use today. The next step in metal bridge construction was an all steel bridge. The first major one was by James Buchanan Eads across the Mississippi River at St. Louis in Just north of the Gateway Arch, it continues to carry people over the most powerful and frequently flooded river in America.

BRIDGES In one form or another, suspension bridges have been used for centuries. Road surfaces were suspended from natural fiber ropes, chains, or links. But it was John Augustus Roebling's 1855 Niagara River Bridge near Niagara Falls that earned a reputation as the first to safely carry heavy rail­road traffic. He used wire rope for the main cables.

TALL BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES All masonry buildings rely only on the strength of brick or stone. Tall ones required a wall thickness of ten feet or more. The word skyscraper describes a tall building with a metal supporting frame. William LeBaron Jenney built the first one in It was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago. At ten stories, others were taller, but Jenney's skyscraper was the first with a complete metal frame. The world's tallest load bearing masonry structure is the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. It is 555 feet from the top to the bottom, over 100 feet taller than the Great Pyramid near Cairo, Egypt

TALL BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES Gustave Eiffel was the first to construct a tall structure of iron. His 1889 Eiffel Tower in Paris, France has 12,000 prefabricated parts. At almost 1,000 feet, it was the tallest structure in the world until the 77-story Chrysler Building was finished in New York in Eiffel also designed the sup­porting framework for the Statue of Liberty in Upper New York Bay. Organizers of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair wanted to match the dominance of Eiffel's Tower. They contracted with young bridge builder George Ferris to build a huge wheel he had proposed. That first Ferris wheel, 264 feet in diameter, was a popular attraction. A total of 1,453,611 people rode it during the fair.

LOW BUILDINGS In the l840s, house construction went from using heavy wooden beams to smaller lumber sizes. It was called stud frame construction and all modern houses use it. Catharine Beecher was an architect who designed houses, churches, school and apartment buildings. She specialized in more efficient interiors by changing the size and location of rooms.

LOW BUILDINGS The first world's fair was in London, England's huge Hyde Park in To shelter the displays, Joseph Paxton built a beautiful structure that resembled a green­house with arches. The building was called the Crystal Palace. It burned down in 1936, but continues to influence architects today. Examples include the Infomart building in Dallas, Texas and the United Airlines terminal at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

LOW BUILDINGS Some houses and other building are constructed in the shape of a dome, a geodesic dome. It is a sphere made from many small pyramid-shaped frames. Geodesic domes use only 3% of the materials as a conventionally built house. A distinctly American form of architecture, it was patented in 1947 by R. Buckminster Fuller.

TUNNELS AND DAMS Tunnels use structural liners for strength. Marc Isambard BruneI used the first one for a tunnel under the River Thames in London, England in The 80-ton cast iron liner was in 12 sections. Screw jacks pushed each section forward as the tunnel was dug with hand shovels. The tunnel is still in use downstream from the Tower Bridge.

TUNNELS AND DAMS A highly publicized tunnel is the 32-mile English Channel Tunnel. It's the longest underwater tunnel in the world and connects Folkestone, England with Calais, France. There are actually three railroad tunnels: one westbound, one eastbound, and one for servicing. The most expensive private construction project in history, it opened for routine traffic in The largest concrete structure ever built is the Grand Coulee Dam across the Columbia River, 90 miles from Spokane, Washington. Designed by John Lucian Savage, chief engineer of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations, the nine-year project was completed in The huge dam is 550 feet high and 4173 feet long.

Great Structures The First Ferris Wheel- Circa 1893 The first Ferris Wheel carried 40 people in each of the 36 enclosed cars. The 264 foot Big Wheel, as it was called, dominated the site. A 20 minute two revolution ride in 1893 cost 50 cents. Courtesy Chicago Historical Society

Great Structures (continued) The Eads Bridge - Circa 1874 The Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis has three spans, each over 500 feet. The first major all steel bridge, it was built from each shore and opened in Courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Great Structures (continued) The World's First Skyscraper - Circa 1883 The ten-story Horne Insurance Building in Chicago was the world's first skyscraper. It stood on the corner of Lasalle & Adams Streets for nearly 50 years. The inset shows an interior section of the metal frame at Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry. Courtesy Chicago Historical Society

Great Structures (continued) The Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower was once the tallest structure in the world. Made entirely of wrought iron, it required 2.5 million rivets to fasten the pieces together. Courtesy EI AI Israel Airlines

Great Structures (continued) The First Iron Bridge - Circa 1779 The first all metal bridge spans the River Severn in west central England. Completed in 1779, the iron bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist attraction. Courtesy Ironbridge Gorge Museum

Great Structures (continued) The Crystal Palace - Circa 1851 London hosted the first World's Fair in This picture, taken from a balloon over Hyde Park, shows the huge iron & glass Crystal Palace. It was as long as 18 football fields and remained in use until it accidentally burned down in Courtesy Fox Photos

Great Structures (continued) The Grand Coulee Dam The Grand Coulee Dam is the greatest source of hydro electric power in America. About 90 miles northwest of Spokane, Washington, it is near a deep chasm called the Grand Coulee. Courtesy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

SOME SUSPENSION BRIDGES WITH MAIN SPAN LENGTHS  1964 Verrazano-Narrows Bridges ft. New York, NY  1937 Golden Gate Bridge ft. San Francisco, CA  1957 Mackinac Bridge ft. Mackinaw, Ml  1931 George Washington Bridge ft. New York, NY  1883 Brooklyn Bridge ft. New York, NY

WORLD'S TALLEST SKYSCRAPERS 1974 Sears Tower ft.Chicago, IL 1973 World Trade Center ft.New York, NY 1931 Empire State Building ft.New York, NY 1974 Amoco Building ft.Chicago, 1L 1969 John Hancock Center ft.Chicago, IL

SOME RAILROAD TUNNELS  1985 Seikan Tunnel milesJapan  1994 English Channel Tunnel milesEngland  1882 Saint Gotthard Tunnel milesSwitzerland  1871 Mont Cenis Tunnel- 8.5 milesFrance  1876 Hoosac Tunnel- 4.5 miles Massachusetts