Week Five Breakdown

We received the 3-D printings of the pillars and the one that was printed looked really good as it appears below. The only problem with the whole process of the 3-D printing was that it took almost 23 hours to print this one piece. The main source of error is that although the material in between the pillars is non existent, the printer still needs to print material to hold the cables in place, and this is why it takes so long. So what we did was adjusted the angle that we printed it from, and we did it sideways. This allowed us to print the pillar in separate pieces, and then hot glue them into place.
Pictures below.

First Printing

Tilted View

Top View

Second Printing

From this point on we are waiting for the rest of the pillars and are discussing the materials that we intend to use for the cables that go through the wholes on top of the pillars. We also are talking about what the road will be constructed from. We have to find that happy medium between stability, and strength for what the road will be able to hold up, using the stringed material of choice. Progress is being seen, but we definitely have a long road ahead of us!

Overview of Project

During Engineering 103 Design Lab, groups were told to research famous landmarks and structures and choose one to observe from an engineering point of view. Then, from the research found on these structures we were told to create a model, and explain adjustments that we would make to make the structure more sound, and better from a futuristic point of view. Obviously, the reason why we researched the buildings and bridges that we did, was because of their famous constructions, and engineering principles behind them to make them so famous. The adjustments that would be made to these landmarks would need to be creative, and we would need to think outside of the box for certain changes.

As for our decision we went with the Rion Antirrion Bridge which is in Greece and connects the Greek to the Peloponnese between the Corinth Gulf and Patraikos Gulf. This grabbed us because of it's insanely interesting design of cable systems, and the length being the longest bridge ever. After being attracted by these qualities, the research process began, and we discovered some interesting engineering problems that went along with its construction. The bridge was built on loose sediment, and somewhat unstable foundation of loose sand as well. This along with the fact that is was built near a earthquake prone fault line, and it has to deal with high wind areas, was enough to make this bridge a masterpiece of engineering.

The beginning of the process for making adjustments was an idea given by group member Gautham. He suggested that we some how incorporate a seismometer to the cable system so that when any sign of seismic activity occurs, the bridge is already in good position to adjust to the movement of its components. I also suggested that we adjust the way the foundations were installed, but this idea hasn't really panned out that much. 

Biography of Members

This section creates a little background of the members that are designing this project. It includes bios on each member and provides a picture of them. 

Members:

Gautham Ravichandran

I am currently attending Drexel University and pursuing a chemical engineering degree. I am proficient with many computer aided design software such as Auto CAD and Inventor. I am also proficient with other similar software such as Creo. I have some experience working with shop tools. I also I have worked on various projects like the Rube Goldberg Module and the engineering bridge design project. My key role in both of these projects was being a researcher and analyzer.  I strongly emphasize teamwork because it is a vital part of proposing and designing an item. I also think that communication and organization both within and outside of a group is key to success for any engineering project.        

Guatham
Email: gr359@drexel.edu

Hugh Farley

Hugh Farley is currently in his Freshmen year here at Drexel University. He is studying Mechanical Engineering, and is in his third term at Drexel. Hugh is from Belvidere, New Jersey, and is a the second oldest of five children. He graduated from Belvidere High School where he was apart of Varsity Basketball and Vice President of Student Government. His contributions to this current project is updating the blog weekly as well as research and helping build the model of the Rion Antirrion. Hugh loves playing basketball, Frisbee, and hanging with friends, as well as eating food all the time! 

Hugh
Email: hff24@drexel.edu

Zakiya James

Zakiya James is currently a pre-junior studying Civil Engineering at Drexel University. She was born and raised in Washington DC and started her college education at the University of the District of Columbia where she spent her freshman and sophomore years. During the summer of her sophomore year Zakiya received acceptance to a research fellowship at Duke University where she completed extensive research on the Effects of Nanoceria on Microbial Growth and Function. After spending some time at Duke Zakiya decided it was time to transfer to a school that offered more research opportunities and hands on work. She later transferred to Drexel and is currently continuing her educational development there. After undergraduate Zakiya plans to continue on her education and work to get her PhD in structural engineering.

Zakiya
Email: zakiya.james@drexel.edu

John Dabrowski 

My name is John Dabrowski. I am 18 years old and I was born and raised in New Jersey. I am a freshman here at Drexel and my major is Mechanical Engineering. I have experience with programs such as Matlab, AutoCAD, and Creo. For this project, I am mainly responsible for creating a 3-D model of the bridge pylons, which will then be 3-D printed and used in our model representation.

John
Email: jd985@drexel.edu

Hancong Ge

From September 2001 to June 2007, Hancong studied at Yingkou Hongqi primary school. From September 2007 to June 2010, he studied at Yingkou First Junior High School. From September 2010 to June 2013, he studied in Yingkou Senior High school. From September 2013 to June 2014, he studied in Dalian Maritime University. From April 2015 , Hancong began to study at Drexel University.

Hancong
Email: hg334@drexel.edu

Technical Adviser:

Dr. Aspasia Zerva

Dr. Aspasia Zerva is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and an Affiliated Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. Before joining Drexel University in 1989, she was Assistant Professor at the City College of the City University of New York. She also held appointments as Visiting Fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, Visiting Associate (under an NSF Visiting Professorship POWRE award) in Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the California Institute of Technology, and Visiting Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Aristoteleion University in Thessaloniki, Greece. She also served as Program Director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Centers in the Division of Engineering Education and Centers, Directorate for Engineering, at the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Professor Zerva received her Diploma with Honors from the Department of Civil Engineering at the Aristoteleion University in Thessaloniki, Greece, her M.Sc. from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Ph.D. from the Department of Civil Engineering also from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Her research interests span the areas of Engineering Seismology, with emphasis on the analysis of seismic spatial strong motion array data, modeling of spatially variable seismic ground motions, and wave propagation techniques, Earthquake Engineering, including linear and nonlinear dynamic response of complex structures, finite and boundary element modeling, and inverse problems in dynamics/system identification, and Probabilistic Methods, including structural reliability, random vibrations, model updating, simulation techniques and signal processing.

Professor Zerva
Email: aspasia.zerva@drexel.edu

Week Four Breakdown

During week four we were informed that our surveys and teamwork assessments were due Friday and we started off the lab period doing these assessments and surveys. Then we spoke about the materials that we would be using for the construction of our model. The pillars are currently being 3D printed at this point so after they are ready and available for use, the rest of the materials can be put together and come together from that point on. As for the rest of the materials, we are going to need some sort of platform to put these things on. We also are going to need things for the platform of the bridge itself, and the strings that support the bridge from the pillars. For these materials and things that will be bonding them together like glue maybe tape, we are going to have to make a supply run out to the Home Depot. Then I realized from a blogger point of view that I needed to create to other sections, one being a background/tutorial/FAQ page for people that are trying to duplicate are process in the future. The other section is a biography section that includes little bios of each group member and the adviser with a picture. So these pages should be coming soon before the blog check next week!

Week Three Breakdown

During week three lab, we completed the Creo sketch of the four pillars that we were going to be 3-D printing. They were created in two different sizes, the first was a sketch of the middle two pillars that stood taller and bolder for support, and the next two were the smaller two which were towards the outer parts of the bridge towards the area of the land. A submission to print these four pillars was sent in today, and once we get these pillars it will lead to a constructing of our bridge.

We are still experimenting and brainstorming ways to improve the predictable failures, of the support systems that the bridge is hanging from using the predictable failure methods it was originally constructed from. We came up with a pretty good idea to somehow involve a seismometer to the bridge to account for earthquakes and high wind so that the predicted failure system can be more efficient and quicker. This is a tough task because the bridge was constructed so carefully and well engineered.

Another thing that we intend to change is the support system and how it was designed on a bedrock and gravel filled foundation. Obviously, the engineers constructing it accounted for that, but a way that we could improve it now would be use materials that are stronger and more sturdy than the foundations they used at the bottom of the pillars they used in there day. This second idea was much more general and still needs some refining but it is something to chew on while we start to see the construction of our model in the upcoming weeks.

Week Two Breakdown

During week two lab session we discussed certain changes that we thought about to the actual design of the Rion Antirrion Bridge. Some of the faults that we came up with for this already well-built engineering masterpiece consisted of the foundation that it was built on and in, and it's practical way of dealing with both high winds, and being in an earthquake region. The bridge's pillars were built in a loose sediment about 60-65m underground. We understand that this is a reasonable layer to build it on, but there has got to be better foundation to put these pillars to make the bridge safer and sturdier overall.

As for the way that the bridge itself compensates for the possible seismic activity, as well as the high winds, there is a system that the bridge has that could be help in a more efficient way.

The creation of the four pillars has been started on Creo as well.

Week One Breakdown

During week one our group was formed, and we chose to do our Engineering 103 design project on the Rio Antirrio Bridge, a bridge that connects the Greek and the Peloponnese between the Corinth Gulf and Patraikos Gulf. This bridge is 2,880 meters and consists of six lanes which are 27 meters in width. After deciding on this project we met outside of class to start brainstorming on our approach and figuring out our proposal for the week two.

Some of our main concerns came up with the decision on how to go about building our model. Another problem that we came upon is how we were going to build this bridge any differently or better than the original engineering masterpiece that it had previously been built as. Our conclusion is that we plan to 3D print the four pillars that the bridge consist of, build the road on these pillars using plastic tracks, and attaching string to from the top of the pillars to the bridge making a cable system. Obviously this is going to be easier said then done, but as of right now this is our plan of creation for our model.

As for the design proposal we created a Google document, and divided the parts of the proposal among the group members on Monday night.