Category Archives: Arch structures

Will it Fall Over?

Posted on 28/09/2008 by dougaj4

Is the arch in the picture below stable, or has it been created in Photoshop, or perhaps with the assistance of some glue or external straps? A simple analysis suggests that tension will be generated at the bottom of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arch structures, Finite Element Analysis, Newton, Ray Tracing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Old Bridge at Heidelberg

Posted on 23/09/2008 by dougaj4

The “Old Bridge” at the German university city of Heidelberg was constructed in 1788,replacing a wooden bridge that had occupied the same site since 1284, and which was regularly destroyed by ice and floods. On the south bank can be … Continue reading →

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Irish Graffiti

Posted on 25/06/2008 by dougaj4

On the 16th October 1843 the Irish mathematician William Hamilton was taking a walk with his wife, alongside the Royal Canal in Dublin, when the answer to a problem that he had been puzzling over came to him, and he … Continue reading →

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The roof of the Taq-i-Kisra; Analysis

Posted on 10/06/2008 by dougaj4

Following the previous post, I have compared the stresses in the Taq-i-Kisra assuming either a catenary or parabolic profile. I have also compared constant depth sections with sections increasing in depth towards the supports. The arch span was taken as … Continue reading →

Posted in Arch structures, Finite Element Analysis, Maths, Newton | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments