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 INTERVIEW Watch an interview with Liz. Choose your connection speed: 56K 300K PHOTO ALBUM See how Liz built the Vessy Bridge model. ANIMATION See animated Vessy Bridge deflections.
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THE
STRUCTURES LAB Elizabeth (“Liz”) Grau is a senior from outside Philadelphia who is studying civil engineering in the Architecture and Engineering program. She chose the major because she is intrigued by structures and enjoys learning about the design, mechanics, and aesthetic considerations behind successful bridges and buildings. Her interest in aesthetics extends to her hobbies, which include painting and drawing. She is also an athlete who competes on the Princeton Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Liz created models of Maillart’s
Salginatobel and Vessy Bridges. The process was essentially the same
for both, as they were made of the same material. First she studied
the original engineering drawings to determine the appropriate size
for the models. Once the dimensions were determined, she modeled the
different parts of the bridges in AutoCAD. The pieces drawn in AutoCAD
were two-dimensional shapes that could be cut out by the laser cutter
in Plexiglas®. Most of the parts of the model were flat; however,
the arch needed to be curved. John Hunter from the School of Architecture
helped her make two wooden molds, one for the Salginatobel arch and
one for the Vessy arch. A flat piece of Plexiglas® was placed on
the mold, and then heated in the oven so that the Plexiglas® deformed
into the appropriate shape for the arch. Once the different pieces were
cut, the models were assembled by gluing the Plexiglas® parts together.
The transparent Plexiglas® models were spray-painted a gray-beige
color to give them the appearance of concrete, the material of the actual
bridges.
GLOSSARY
I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I RELATED
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