Structural and Civil Engineering Design

by William Addis (Editor)

Overview

The importance of design has often been neglected in studies considering the history of structural and civil engineering. Yet design is a key aspect of all building and engineering work. This volume brings together a range of articles which focus on the role of design in engineering. It opens by considering the principles of design, then deals with the application of these to particular subjects including bridges, canals, dams and buildings (from Gothic cathedrals to Victorian mills) constructed using masonry, timber, cast and wrought iron.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781351897464
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/05/2016
Series:	Studies in the History of Civil Engineering
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

William Addis

Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction; Design Rules and Methods: The mechanisation of design in the 16th century: the structural formulae of Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, Sergio Luis Sanabria; Designing the beam: from rules of thumb to calculations, David T. Yeomans; History of retaining wall design, J. Kerisel; The use of models in nineteenth-century British suspension bridge design, Denis Smith; Brunel and the design of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, R.F.D. Porter Goff; History of building foundations in Chicago, Ralph B. Peck; Theoretical Justification in Design: The Gothic cathedral: design and meaning, Otto G. von Simson; Stability concepts from the Renaissance to today, Rowland J. Mainstone; The place of Sir Christopher Wren in the history of structural engineering, Stanley B. Hamilton; The origin of iron beams, A.W. Skempton; Thomas Tredgold (1788-1829): some aspects of his work (part 2: carpentry), L. G. Booth; Thomas Tredgold (1788-1829): some aspects of his work (part 3: cast iron), R.J.M. Sutherland; The birth of stress: a historical review, R.J.M. Sutherland; Progress in Engineering Design: The genesis of engineering: theory and practice, A. Rupert Hall; The functions of engineering research in the university, A.J.S. Pippard; The design of structural ironwork, 1850-1890: education, theory and practice, Stanley Smith; Structural design by observation of failures: how the Gothic master masons determined the dimensions of their structures, Henry J. Cowan; The Britannia Tubular Bridge: a paradigm of failure driven design, Henry Petroski; Structural failures and the growth of engineering knowledge, D.I. Blockley and J.R. Henderson; The evolution of structural engineering design procedures: a history for that skill called design, William Addis; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Focuses on the historical development of structural and civil engineering design. Material is divided into section on design rules and methods, theoretical justification in design, and progress in engineering design. The approach taken is that of looking at projects from the point of view of when the solution was not yet known, and tracing how engineers managed to set and attain their objectives. Specific topics include the history of retaining wall design, mechanization of design in the 16th century, and stability concepts from the Renaissance to today. Other subjects are the origin of iron beams, the work of Thomas Tredgold, functions of engineering research in the university, and structural failures and the growth of engineering knowledge. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

'The aim of Ashgate's twelve volume series is to bring together collections of important papers on particular topics from scholarly journals, conference proceedings and other hard-to-access sources. This is a wholly laudable objective. Some of the papers in the volume under review [The Civil Engineering of Canals and Railways before 1850] cannot be found even in abundantly-resourced academic libraries. The series opens up, directly or indirectly, debates over the nature of historical evidence which arise from the profoundly different approaches to the past of historians of technology, whose works are principally represented in these volumes, industrial archaeologists and social and economic historians.' Industrial Archaeology Review, Vol. XXI, No. 1 ’...an interesting volume which contains a great deal of material not generally familiar...' Architectural Science Review, Australia vol. 43, no. 4 'I thoroughly recommend having a browse through the various volumes, especially if, like me, you are involved with some of the older buildings, bridges and other structures. It has given me a new appreciation of the skill and judgement of these early engineers.' The Structural Engineer

From the Publisher