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"The 8th Wonder of the World". Analysis. Career opportunity. You are a proud junior member of “Bridging the gap” an up and coming engineering firm. You have just been ask to analyze a structure that was considered, in its time, the Eighth Wonder of the World; the Victoria Bridge. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Career opportunity
You are a proud junior member of “Bridging the gap” an up and coming engineering firm.
You have just been ask to analyze a structure that was considered, in its time, the Eighth Wonder of the World; the Victoria Bridge.
What made this bridge so special and receive such high praise?
As the original bridge, designed in 1859 no longer exists, let’s look at pictures from the 1860 edition of Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal.
The Original 1859 Victoria Bridge – During Construction
What information does this picture tell you about the bridge?
What materials do you think were used?
The Original 1859 Victoria Bridge – The Entrance
What information does this picture tell you about the bridge?
The Original 1859 Victoria Bridge – The Roof
What information does this picture tell you about the bridge?
What is the purpose of the machine seen on the roof?
General Facts on the 1859 Victoria Bridge
Superstructure: The Victoria Bridge was a
Tubular Bridge. The iron tube, built in sections,
was 6 592 feet in length
The Piers: Stone piers supported the
weight of the bridge The first stone was laid on July
20th 1854
In order to support the full weight of the superstructure (9044 tons), the bridge rested on 24 piers and 2 abutments.
General Facts on the 1859 Victoria Bridge
The Victoria Bridge only had one set of tracks.
The Tube itself had no windows. Although it did have
an opening at its top. Light at the end of the tunnel
General Facts on the 1859 Victoria Bridge
Although the bridge was a rectangular box, it did also have a roof (shown by the slanting sides).
The machine on the roof was actually used to paint the bridge.
General Facts on the 1859 Victoria Bridge
Riddle 1 – The DesignWhy was the Tubular Bridge design
selected? The Trestle Bridge and the Suspension
Bridge designs were far more popular at the time.
Riddle 2- the PiersHow did they manage to build stone
piers in the middle of the St-Lawrence River?
Why is the shape of the piers so peculiar?
Riddle 3 – the SuperstructureWhat is the purpose of having an
opening in the top of the tube and then cover it by a roof?
What is a tubular bridge?
Tubular bridge designs were used in the 1800’s.
The train travels through the iron tube.
What were the other design options?The Wooden Trestle bridge and the
Suspension Bridge were also popular designs in the 1800’s.
Based on your knowledge of bridges and the following facts, why was the tubular bridge selected over these more common designs?
Suspension bridge summary
Modern Suspension bridges
can span up to 2 km
Suspension bridges are known to undergo torsion in high winds or if there is constant vibrations.
What makes this particular bridge an unsuitable design for the Victoria Bridge?
Wooden Trestle Bridge summary
Due to the abundance of lumber found in the region, this type would have been inexpensive to build
Wood requires constant maintenance. On average, an untreated trestle bridge lasts 15 years.
What makes this particular bridge an unsuitable design for the Victoria Bridge?
Facts about the piersDefinition of pier:
Upright support for a bridge
Building Material: Blue Limestone Thickness of the 2 center piers: 24 feet Thickness of side piers :16 feet
The original piers only underwent minor adjustments to support the much larger and heavier bridge we see today.
How to build a pier in the middle of the St-Lawrence River? Floating coffer dams were
brought in for the construction of five of the piers. Brought by steam tug boats,
these dams were sunk into the St-Lawrence by opening a valve letting in water.
These dams were reusable by pumping out the water.
A second function The Piers of the
Victoria Bridge also served as ice breakers.
The ice would climb the angle and then break under its own weight.
Factors that could be considered to solve this riddle.
Type of engine used in the 1800’s
Weather and climatic conditions
The Steam EngineTrains in the 1800’s used the steam
engine, which worked on the combustion of wood to produce steam.
Water Vapor
Scientific Side note Combustion:
Is a form of oxidation which release a large amount of energy.
Three factors are needed to ensure combustion Fuel: substance that releases energy by reacting with an
oxidizing agent Oxidizing agent: causes the fuel to react Ignition temperature: minimum temperature required.
After having considered the type of engine used and the climate of the Montreal region, what is the purpose of the opening and the roof in the tubular bridge?
The 8th Wonder of the WorldDue in part to the engineering methods
used, the longest Tubular Bridge in the World (in 1859) was dubbed the 8th wonder of the World.
On a visit to Canada, an English shareholder in the Grand Trunk Railway insisted on inspecting the Victoria bridge by foot.
He was accompanied by valets, secretaries, relatives and elegant ladies.
Although, orders had been given suspending train activity during the visit in the tunnel, a freight train carrying pigs entered the tube.
On hot summer days, this tube could reach temperatures of 125 Fahrenheit (52 Celsius), even with the opening in its ceiling.