Civl Engineering
October 2009

Civil Engineering

The Magazine of the American Society of Civil Engineers

October 2009  |  Volume 79, Number 10


Singapore Flyer Pte., Ltd.

ON THE COVER:
Two steel columns 85 m in height, a spindle more than 25 m in length, and four sets of cable stays support the Singapore Flyer’s 150 m diameter observation wheel, which features 28 climate controlled capsules that provide passengers with views that can reach 45 km—well beyond the borders of the island city in which the attraction was constructed. (Photograph courtesy of Singapore Flyer Pte., Ltd.)

Features

High Flyer

By Robert L. Reid

An engineering-led design process created the slender structure of the 165 m tall Singapore Flyer, currently the largest observation wheel in the world. The Flyer’s innovative design features a two-dimensional rim truss structure and an alternating arrangement of spoke cables that counter the potential for radial and lateral translational buckling as well as torsional buckling.

Setting the Benchmark

By Brad Montgomery, P.E., M.ASCE

The recently completed Eastern Regional Water Reclamation Facility, in northern Kentucky, sets a new performance standard in the state for small wastewater facilities. In addition to offering advanced treatment technologies, the 4 mgd (15,140 m³/d) plant has improved the prospects for economic growth in the area.

A Coordinated Effort

By Thomas A. Fisher, P.E., M.ASCE, Rama Krishnagiri, P.E., Tam L. Sillick, P.E., and George R. Kuhn

It is difficult enough to design and construct a major overhaul of a nine-span bascule crossing of a navigable waterway that will extend the structure’s service life by 25 years.  But designing the retrofit so that the construction would keep traffic flowing most of the time and simultaneously minimize the effects on nearby businesses, wildlife, and shipping operations required extraordinary feats of engineering ingenuity.

On Earth and In Space

By Larry Bell, A.M.ASCE

Pneumatic membrane structures originally designed for use in space provide rapidly and easily deployable large-volume enclosures that can be used on Earth as well, especially in harsh climates or in the aftermath of disasters.

 

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