Week 3

Questions for Mr. Jay Bhatt:

1. Are there resources that allow us to look at bridges that failed that also show what could have been changed to make it a successful design?

2. Are there blueprints available for alternative designs for popular bridges?

3. Are there plans available of popular bridges that we have access to? 

Week 3:

In the past week, each team member designed a bridge that is successful using West Point Bridge Designer.   I experimented with different designs to figure out what is successful and what is not.  Our task for the week was assignment A1.   There were specific design constraints that had to be taken into account such as having an elevation of zero, no intermediate support, no cable anchorages, and medium strength concrete must be used.  Our major accomplishment this week was designing bridges that are effective and safe.  At this point there are no major issues that we have encountered.  There are small issues that are encountered in designing the bridges using West Point Bridge Designer when certain sections of the design were too weak or the cost is too high.  These problems are minor that are part of the design process.  In the coming week, we will continue to work on our bridge designs and analyze different parts of the three designs to come up with a combined final design that is effective.