On Some Common Errors in Iron Bridge Design Classic Reprint

Excerpt from On Some Common Errors in Iron Bridge Design

It appeared, therefore, that a criticism of existing bridges would be useful not only to the designer of new structures anxious to avoid the defects of the older ones, but also, and perhaps in an even greater degree, to the man who has received a legacy of imperfect structures from his predecessors, which he is desirous of utilizing as far as possible by judicious repairing and local strengthening, for it is to be noted as a good point of many of our defective bridges that they are like chains, most of the links of which are abundantly strong while occasionally a very weak one is found, which governs the strength of the whole and that thus a comparatively inexpensive local reinforcement may improve the whole structure to a very large and valuable extent.

I shall now proceed as briefly as is consistent with clearness to point out what I consider to be the principal errors in structures that have come under my notice, and indicate how their defects may be remedied, if remediable, in existing and avoided in future structures.

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