I just reread Maria Lehman’s excellent column in the 2024 Sustainable Engineering Issue of Informed Infrastructure, “Engineers Must Share Their Infrastructure Stories.” It’s full of facts and data about our needs, but what I found most interesting is how it stresses our role in passing on the infrastructure message to whoever we can, whenever we can.
I tell my students—senior civil and environmental engineers—that they’re moving into the workforce at a great time to provide work on projects that will save and improve our infrastructure and environment. This is one of the underlying messages I reinforce: They will become engineers and, along with the opportunity to design and construct infrastructure projects, they have the responsibility to explain to others the importance of maintaining and improving our systems of transportation and communication as well as protecting our environment. (I’ve said it often enough each semester through the last few years that I hope it’s sinking in.)
Tinkertoys?
I recently read an article in the New York Times with the headline: “Climate Change Can Cause Bridges to ‘Fall Apart Like Tinkertoys,’ Experts Say” (by Coral Davenport and published Sept. 2, 2024). Having constructed bridges and buildings with Tinkertoys, this grabbed my interest. Using the system’s triangles, I always thought my structures were pretty sturdy. So, I read further.
The article discussed the effects of excessive heat and cold on bridges. Expansion of slabs and members during recent heat waves is exceeding the limits provided by expansion joints, causing buckling of decks in some cases and increased stresses in steel members.
This is another effect of climate change. Many states already have revised standards for wind loads, high water levels causing increased scour, increased carbon dioxide levels, and so on. One of the terms used is “climate-resilient engineering.”
Resilience is a word I learned about, but not so much as it related to climate. The definition I recall is the property of a material that allows it to return to its original shape and condition if it doesn’t exceed its elastic limit. Climate resilience is the ability of a community, business or ecosystem to prepare for, respond to and recover from the effects of climate change. It also involves minimizing the damage to the environment, economy and societal wellbeing (an AI definition that seems to cover it well).
The aforementioned article cites examples of steel-toothed bridge expansion joints reaching their limit and damaging the joints themselves or the concrete deck. In addition, there are instances of approach slabs expanding and causing bridges to move in ways for which they weren’t designed. While standards can be revised to accommodate new conditions, there are thousands of bridges in use that weren’t designed to expand and contract as much as our current temperature differentials cause. Replacing a bridge is one of the parts of our infrastructure that requires a lot of time and money. In addition to such costs is the increased travel time across detour routes for the public as well as the transportation of goods. This compounds into paying more, because these costs are most likely passed on to consumers.
More Than Paying for Itself
We have all read about economic studies showing that investment in infrastructure more than pays for itself. So, as Maria Lehman says, engineers must share our infrastructure stories. Certainly, we must talk about safety in all our conversations, but we need to make sure we convey that there are environmental costs that may not be recoverable.
Thinking back, on some days, my Tinkertoy parts didn’t fit very well. Sometimes, because of changing humidity, the joints were too tight and sometimes they were too loose. And through time, all the parts became worn, and the joints were susceptible to failure with the smallest movement. My bridges were no longer as strong as they used to be. They lost some of their resilience, in part because of climate (humidity) change, but also because of age. (Actually, this sounds like I’m talking about myself.)
About Robert Schickel
Robert Schickel was born in New Jersey and received his BS in Civil Engineering degree in 1971 from Valparaiso University in Indiana. His career started as a bridge design engineer and expanded to include design of various transportation facilities, including highways, bridges, rail lines and stations, and airport runways. Mr. Schickel managed engineering offices ranging from 20 to 140 people. He also served as a consultant to a large utility company.
Mr. Schickel currently resides in Indiana and serves as Adjunct Professor for the College of Engineering at Valparaiso University. He enjoys his retired life at his lake house, playing golf, listening to music and spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.
The post From the Editor: Resilience: A Journey Through Climates and Time first appeared on Informed Infrastructure.