ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURES |
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| Most of the exhibits in this category are bridge structures that were created for several science museums around the country and abroad. They were all built at Levy Design Studios in Portland, OR USA. Click on the thumbnails for a large picture. | ||
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CABLE SUSPENSION BRIDGE - The exhibit to the left, built for Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, allows the visitor to walk over the bridge, while another visitor can push a giant lever which lifts or holds the suspension cables taut. | |
| ARCH SUSPENSION BRIDGE - This suspension bridge allows two visitors to measure the forces needed to hold the bridge up while another visitor walks over the bridge. Liberty Science Center, New Jersey, USA. |  |
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ARCH BRIDGE - The blocks from which this bridge is made are made of foam clad in heavy fabric. Visitors build the bridge and walk over it. The structure easily supports two adults or several children. Exhibit built at Levy Design Studios in Portland, OR USA for multiple clients. | |
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| This is a part of exhibits on engineering and structures created for the Hong Kong Science Centre. The bridge model is made of acrylic and subjected to compression forces as a visitor presses a lever. Polarized light shows exactly where the forces and stresses inside the structure occur. |  |
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| CATENARY ARCH - Catenary shape is the
mathematical name for a curve formed by a free hanging chain. It is a very
stable shape when used as an inverted arch. Engineering structures made in
this shape are strong and self supporting. Famous examples are the St.
Louis Arch, the Cathedral Dome in Florence, etc.
The 3 illustrations show one of a series of exhibits created on the topic of engineering for the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey in 1992, as part of a larger project. |
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The photo on the left shows the whole unit. A table with a tempered glass top holds a bar on which the arch is built by carefully placing the wooden blocks to form the arch. For convenience, it is built laying down on the hinged acrylic behind it, and when finished it is lifted vertically to stand freely on its own. An important part of the exhibit is a chain suspended below the glass right under the arch. If you look down through the glass, you will see that the arch reflection follows exactly the curve of the arch above it. This is a visual proof that the two shapes are the same. | |
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A stereoscopic view of the Catenary Arch on the left, and the consequence of an accident to the structure on the right. |  |
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CANTILEVER - A visitor hangs from the
handles attached to cantilevers. The further away he hangs the more
leverage he can apply to the cantilever. This forces are measured
directly on gauges attached to the structure.
This is a part of exhibits on engineering and structures created for the Hong Kong Science Centre. |
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| CANTILEVERED STAIRS - These stairs are attached at one end only. They are made of 2" clear acrylic which is strong enough to support several visitors. Yet, as weight is applied to the stairs, stresses inside the acrylic are generated. These stresses can been seen easily by looking through polarizing glasses. The whole wall behind the stairs is rear lit by polarized light. |  |
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CRANE - This 12 feet tall crane can be operated with several controls by the visitor. An electromagnetic "hook" lifts different objects. The stereoscopic photograph on the right shows a detail of the top mechanism. Liberty Science Center, in New Jersey, USA. |  |
| All exhibits on this page were designed and produced at Levy Design Studios in Portland, Oregon, USA. | ||