Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall DownIn a book that Business Insider noted as one of the "14 Books that inspired Elon Musk," J.E. Gordon strips engineering of its confusing technical terms, communicating its founding principles in accessible, witty prose. For anyone who has ever wondered why suspension bridges don't collapse under eight lanes of traffic, how dams hold back-or give way under-thousands of gallons of water, or what principles guide the design of a skyscraper or a kangaroo, this book will ease your anxiety and answer your questions. J. E. Gordon strips engineering of its confusing technical terms, communicating its founding principles in accessible, witty prose. |
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accidents aeroplane aircraft aluminium animals arch artery beam bending bones break brick brittle buckling buildings built calculations called cantilever cause Chapter columns composite bow compressive stress concrete construction course crack crease cross-section deflections effect efficiency elasticity elastin engineers fact failure feet fibres Figure force fracture Greek happens Hooke's law joints kind length less load masonry masts material mechanical membrane metal metres MN/m² modern monocoque Nature nearly neutral axis nowadays panels plastic Plate Poisson's ratio practical pressure vessels problem pull railway reason result riveted roof rope safe safety sailing shape shear modulus shear stress ships simple solid sort spars square-cube law steel stiffness stone strain energy stress concentrations stress-strain curve stretched strong structure strut surface suspension bridge tendon tensile strength tensile stress thick thing thrust line timber tion tissues torsion truss tube usually voussoirs wall weight welded whole wing wood wooden Young's modulus