All Questions
Tagged with building-physics structural-engineering
18
questions
8
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How does a church built from stones survive 70 years under water?
Following the recent news about the Sau reservoir in Spain, the draught revealed an 11-century stone church which has been under water for 70 years since 1962 when the reservoir was built.
How is it ...
- 300
1
vote
0
answers
37
views
How did gothic church architects/builders properly scale up their models to full size churches?
In this video the author explains how ancient church builders used models to determine the proper shape and order of installation of architectural elements in gothic churches.
From the little I know, ...
- 23
1
vote
2
answers
43
views
Impact of decreasing weight from a part of body w.r.t tipping
If I decrease the weight from top portion of the body keeping all dimensions same, the center of mass shifts downwards, but does it makes it more stable against tipping from perpendicular forces ?
...
- 113
0
votes
2
answers
40
views
Who takes care of structural health monitoring of civil structures?
There are numerous studies about the possibility of structural health monitoring (SHM) of tall structures, like bridges, skyscrapers, water towers, wind turbines, where, for example, inclination or ...
- 101
1
vote
4
answers
626
views
How are these bricks being supported?
My question is how can all of these bricks be supported by the thin columns on either side? How can there be that much empty space under all of the bricks that the arrow is going through? Looking at ...
- 13
-1
votes
1
answer
36
views
Is it just surface area alone that causes bridges to freeze?
Scenario: Object 1, a bridge freezes over do to the surface area exposed to the below freezing air. Object 2 has the same surface area exposed to the same air, but its base sits on the ground that is ...
- 145
0
votes
1
answer
506
views
Could Tesla have REALLY shaken a building with a little oscillator?
I came across this story while reading about Nikola Tesla ground-power scheme. Supposedly, he created a little oscillator that could be plugged into the ground, tuned to the right (resonant) frequency,...
- 239
-1
votes
2
answers
461
views
Why are/were sewers made large enough for somebody to walk down in there?
Today, I have been reading a lot about sewer systems on Wikipedia, in the hope that I would find information or at least photos showing what I think of as sewers, namely somewhere under the streets in ...
0
votes
3
answers
81
views
How deep do you have to check for problems underneath a building site?
When you're putting up a new building, you have to check the soil underneath for stability. How deep do you typically have to check? What's the extent of your "due diligence" when ensuring that a ...
- 103
0
votes
1
answer
114
views
Do concealed door closers exacerbate wear on a door's hinges?
Not being of an engineering background, I was first inclined to think that a door closer would reduce horizontal load on all hinges and not contribute any support in the vertical dimension.
However, ...
- 11
2
votes
2
answers
141
views
Can a crisscrossed metallic skeleton resist earthquakes for buildings?
To follow up with my previous question on the seismic design of buildings, I would like to ask if it makes sense to support buildings with strong thick 'crisscrossed' metallic frames.
I have the ...
- 239
2
votes
2
answers
84
views
Can a horizontal foundation safeguard against earthquakes?
I have not taken any course in civil engineering. What I was taught was that a broad base would prevent something from toppling. So it makes me wondering instead of nailing the foundation of a ...
- 239
3
votes
2
answers
306
views
Cooling tower for nuclear power plants
Cooling towers for nuclear power plants often have the shape of a hyperboloid. At first glance, I thought that an obvious reason for this would be the smaller sectional area, meaning the tower would ...
- 133
5
votes
1
answer
92
views
What approaches are there for demolishing a structure and how is an approach chosen?
From my office on the 21st floor of a building in Vancouver, BC two parking garages in the process of being demolished are visible. A third is just out of view a few more blocks away.
One of these ...
- 153
2
votes
1
answer
452
views
Can a neutrally bouyant helium balloon be suspended in air using magnet entrapment?
The above picture is a basic concept of how a levitron toy works.
Could the top floating peace stay entrapped in the magnetic field without having to spin if the edges of the balloon keep the top ...
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