'Supersensored' Supertower

From Engineering News Record...

"There is at least one superlative associated with the world’s tallest structure that few know about: The 828-meter Burj Dubai, renamed Burj Khalifa on its opening day, Jan. 4, is likely the most monitored skyscraper in the world, from its foundation to the top of its pinnacle. Data collected from the building’s permanent sensors will be used to refine design and construction methods for future supertall towers..."

Click here to read the full article from ENR.

Revisiting a once wobbly bridge

Falling Smoke Stack

This is a slow-motion video of the demolition of a smoke stack (probably from a power plant) on the campus of Drexel University. At the 0:35 second mark, once the stack impacts the ground, you can see a shock wave travel through the glass cladding on the building in the center of the video.



(It helps to view the video in a full screen mode)

Out of Step on the Bridge

(image from Wikipedia)

The Millennium Bridge in London, England, which opened in 2000, became famous for its "wobbly" motions after crowds of pedestrians moved across it. Different theories into the nature of the bridge motion were developed, one of which was highlighted in the May 2009 issue of ASCE's Civil Engineering Magazine in an article entitled "Bio-mechanics Research Yields Clues to Millennium Bridge Wobble." Dr. Kareem has provided some insightful follow-up comments to this article.