ENGR 13100 Fall 2010

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ENGR13100 - Homework #4 Answer Sheet

Name: Section No. Team No. Date: Sean Conley 006 14 9/19/10

Problem 1 - Individual
School of Civil Engineering Q# a b c d e Response The original purpose of the Hoover Dam was to control the Colorado Rivers periodic flooding and provide a reliable water source. The dam also provides hydroelectricity that offers power to millions of people. The current bridge provides a route which is narrow that twists and winds around and it goes across the dam itself which slows traffic greatly. The goals of the new bypass bridge are to reduce the visitor and traffic interface and increase safety. The support mechanism that holds the bridge is columns on top of an arch support the road. A cable-stay or suspension bridge would not work as well because you need columns that reach the ground to support them. The arch distributes the weight of the bridge to the walls of the canyon so this type of bridge works best in this situation. The current bridge gives access to pedestrians and automobiles which impedes the flow of traffic for both. The new bridge will separate the two and allow the pedestrians to cross the dam and automobiles to drive on the new bypass bridge. Highway safety is an issue that must be addressed in constructing this new bypass. Also the sustainability of the bridge itself is a safety issue. Some of the environmental concerns with the construction of this new bypass are the impact on the wildlife surrounding the bridge and the effects on the environment from the production of materials used to construct the bridge. The nine emphasis areas offered by Purdue Civil Engineering are architectural, construction, environmental, geomatics, geotechnical, hydraulic and hydrologic, materials, structural, and transportation engineering. Architectural This area of civil engineering deals with integrated design, construction, and operation of buildings. This includes structures, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and many more engineering aspects. This relates to the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge because this area helps to design and construct the bridge.

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Construction This area deals with the designing, planning, and management of structures such as bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, and other various structures we use daily. This relates to the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge because this area engages in the design of structures along with cost estimating, materials procurement, and equipment selection. A construction engineer could have estimated the cost or helped design either of those two structures. Environmental This area applies science and engineering principles to improve the environment, water, air, and land. This relates to the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge because an environmental engineer would have helped to reduce the negative effects of these structures on the environment. Geomatics This area manages global geospatial resources and infrastructure. They design, develop, and operate systems for collecting, analyzing, and utilizing geospatial information about the land, infrastructure, the oceans, natural resources, and the environment. This relates because systems that collected and analyzed geospatial information about the canyon and bridge were designed, developed, and operated by geomatics engineers. Geotechnical This area deals with the analysis, design and construction of foundations, slopes, retaining structures and other systems that are made of or are supported by soil or rock. The bypass bridge is supported by rock. Hydraulic and Hydrologic This area works to prevent floods, to supply water for cities, industry and irrigation, to treat wastewater, to protect beaches, and to manage and redirect rivers. It deals with problems and issues involving the flow and storage of water. This relates because the Hoover Dam was designed to control flooding and provide a reliable water source. Materials This area deals with the study of materials in order to improve things such as roads and sidewalks by making them last longer, or coal by making it more energy efficient. This relates to the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge because materials engineers find cost effective and sustainable materials to compose these structures with. Structural This area designs, as well as analyzes the response and behavior of various structures ranging from bridges, buildings, dams, tunnels, retaining walls and other such structures. This relates to the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge because structural engineers contribute to the designing of these structures. Transportation This area designs and operates highways, airports, rail roads, and public transit while aiming to ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and
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goods. Transportation engineering relates to the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge because one of the goals of the bypass bridge was to increase the safety and efficiency of the movement of people.

Problem 2 - Individual
School of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Q# a b c d Response Two engineering degrees are offered through ABE Agricultural Engineering and Biological Engineering The areas of focus within AE are Machine Systems Engineering and Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering The areas of focus within BE are Cellular and Biomolecular Engineering, Food Process Engineering, and Bioprocess Engineering. I watched the BFPE Senior Project Sustainable Production of Vegan Paintballs. They described the process of how to produce a paintball without the use of any animal product. They replaced the gelatin in the paintball with another material called sodium alginate, and used soy paint in paintball. The paintball is also coated with a corn protein called zein which is expensive, making a normal paintball cheaper than this vegan one. With careful planning, the Biological Engineering plan of study can meet Pre-Med requirements without any additional credits, which is unique among other Purdue Engineering Programs. The current ranking of Purdues Agricultural & Biological Engineering Department is 3rd and the highest ranking that ABE has received is 1st. ABE typically has one of the top three highest starting salaries in the College of Engineering. Three sponsors of scholarships in ABE are Caterpillar, Archer Daniels Midland, and Bridgestone/Firestone. One of the goals of the Biological Engineering and Genetics Club is to build and design genetically engineered machines.
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)

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You do not need to have an agricultural background to be successful in ABE. ABE will provide you with the tools you need to be successful. Dan Taylor is the person to contact to learn more about ABE and to tour some of their labs.
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Energy, Water, Food, Health, and Environment are the 5 grand challenges ABE addresses through their majors. Students said that they enjoy the small size of the program which enables students to receive personal attention from professors. Also they enjoy the hands on experience that they receive. She mentions that the kind of students she sees in ABE want to make a difference in the world and this is a unique characteristic. Dr. Lumkes mentions that there is a service and human aspect that students learn about when working on projects such as the Basic Utility Vehicle for Third World Countries. Machine Systems Engineers might work for companies such as John Deere or Caterpillar. Environmental & Natural Resources Engineers might work for the Department of Natural Resources.

Career Option Summary: Careers in Machine Systems Engineering focus on the systems, processes, and machines that are used to generate or utilize energy, food, and water. A career in this area might entail working outdoors or with agricultural vehicles.

Problem 3 - Individual
Q# 1 Response Gupta, S. (2010, August 20). Gulf Spill: Is the oil lurking underwater?. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19345-gulf-spill-is-the-oil-lurkingunderwater.html Kuo, V. (2010, August 20). Researchers say they saw a 22-mile hydrocarbon plume in Gulf. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/19/gulf.oil.plume/index.html Article B Article A Article A aims to inform and explain to environmentally conscious and science oriented people the different results about the remaining oil in the gulf. Article B aims to inform the average person about the oil spill and warn of the possible dangers.

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Problem 4 - Individual
Q# 1 2 Response One barrier to sustainable design from a product users or consumers perspective is that the product may be more expensive than the conventional one. This barrier could be overcome by creating a sustainable product from recycled materials. One advantage to sustainable design over more conventional design from the designer or
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engineers perspective is that it is not only helping to preserve the environment but it is a guilt-free product for the consumer and user. One barrier to sustainable design from a designer or engineers perspective is that the sustainable design might not be as cost effective as the conventional design. This barrier could be overcome by building a sustainable design from cheap recycled materials. A vegan woman is forced to buy rubber shoes, since she refuses to wear leather. As a result of this, she feels guilty about the negative effects on the environment from the production of her rubber shoes. If I were part of this group of designers I would encourage the production of bio-degradable shoes made from recyclable products.

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