Encyclopedia of Bridges and Tunnels (Facts on File Science Library)

Provides an alphabetical reference to bridges and tunnels, including designers, builders, and materials and machinery used in their construction.

A selective guide to bridges and tunnels worldwide, this volume presents information about circumstances, technologies, and people involved in these landmark projects. Entries for particular structures include name, dates of construction, and a short descriptive phrase (for example, London's Millennium Bridge is described as "Britain's wobbly symbol"), followed by a description of building materials and techniques and circumstances surrounding construction. Others among the more than 300 entries cover types of bridges and tunnels (Beam bridge, Can tilever bridge); principles, materials, and techniques of design and construction (Bridge aerodynamics, Concrete, Wetdrilling) ; events (Channel Tunnel fire, Lowe's Motor Speedway walkway collapse) ; personalities (reinforced concrete inventor Joseph Menier, Brooklyn Bridge designer John Augustus Roebling); and more. Length of entries ranges from three or four paragraphs to almost 10 pages for Golden Gate Bridge. Although there are no lists of further readings, there are an appendix for bridge and tunnel Web sites and a bibliography. An additional appendix lists longest bridges and tunnels by type.

The reading level is not too technical and is appropriate for general readers, although it may not be detailed enough for a practicing engineer. The writing style tends to veer away from reportorial objectivity (for example, the entry for the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia notes that it was "vindictively blasted into rubble by Croat troops"), which some readers might find distracting.

The Encyclopedia of Bridges and Tunnels nicely complements Encyclopedia of Architectural and Engineering Feats [RBB My 15 02]. Recommended for the technology reference collections of public and academic libraries. RBB
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