Edward M Segal

Hofstra University · Department of Engineering

Historically, suspended footbridges have been built from ropes (i.e., cables) constructed of a variety of materials including iron and natural fibers. However, contemporary suspended footbridges are typically constructed with steel rope. One exception, a 64 m span polyester-rope footbridge completed in 2013, demonstrates the potential for alternati...

This paper compares Pier Luigi Nervi's Norfolk Scope Arena (Norfolk, VA, US, 1970) to his earlier domes and to other long span concrete domes built in the United States of America (US) in the 1960s and 1970s. The first objective is to show the progression in Nervi's dome designs. This paper identifies chronologically when interior ribs and buttress...

Dynamic testing of an experimental 64 m span polyester-rope footbridge (Ait Bayoud, Morocco, 2013) was conducted to inform the design of future bridges. The objective of this paper is to compare accelerations from single and group pedestrian excitation tests to minimum pedestrian comfort (serviceability) limits. In each test, the pedestrians walked...

This paper demonstrates that polyester rope has potential as an alternative to steel cable for pedestrian suspended bridges (for spans up to 50 m) in rural parts of the developing world. The specific objectives are to show that (1) polyester is the most viable synthetic rope material for this application, (2) pedestrian, polyester-rope suspended br...

Buildings live longer than their makers. It is not uncommon to see historic buildings reuse elements from older structures. In contrast, contemporary construction produces a significant amount of waste. While recycled materials are part of current discussions on sustainable building design, the recycling process requires additional resources and en...

p>Walking networks can be damaged during disasters such as floods and leave people stranded. By utilizing a rapidly deployable bridge, a walking network can be quickly restored. The objective of this paper is to describe ways to improve upon an established method for rapidly deploying suspended footbridges when only one side of a crossing is initia...

Location of Project: Barcelona, Spain Structural Type:thin shell roofProject Scale:1.9 m by 3.55 m in planArchitect:Lisa Ramsburg and Albert ChaoStructural Engineer:Edward M. Segal and Powell DraperConstruction year:2019

Suspended footbridges are lightweight structures that are frequently constructed to create permanent connections in rural parts of the world. Their low weight (compared to that of other structural types such as trusses and beams) also makes them appealing for temporary projects requiring rapid deployment using minimal labor. The objective of this p...

Clay cracking, a natural process often associated with material failure, can be leveraged by designers to generate unique forms. When clay dries, a crack pattern emerges that is dependent on factors such as the clay’s water content, thickness, and boundary conditions. This paper presents a method for designing and fabricating cast aluminum architec...

p>This paper describes the analysis and structural details for a 64 m span polyester-rope suspended footbridge built in 2013 in rural Ait Bayoud, Morocco to provide members of the community with year-round access to a health clinic, school, and local markets. Polyester rope is an engineered, load rated product designed to endure rough handling and...

One challenge architectural and civil engineering departments face while preparing their students for the global workforce is including design projects that tackle real world problems, in an already full academic curriculum. This paper describes an approach to helping students develop structural engineering design skills in an introductory level me...

This paper describes how NovoEd, a web platform that hosts a variety of online courses, was used to enhance an introductory course (taught at Princeton University (USA) during the fall of 2014) with a structural engineering design component. Though the project was implemented in a solid mechanics course, the project’s aims and objectives are applic...

In rural parts of the world, lack of access to roads that are useable year-round significantly contributes to poverty. Suspended footbridges can improve access at locations that require medium span crossings (15 m to 64 m). This dissertation challenges the idea that modern bridges of this type must use steel rope, a well-established material for th...

Suspended structures such as cable roofs and bridges are lightweight spatial tensile systems. The objective of this paper is to present an automated robust design methodology for suspended structures. Whereas design methods for these systems may focus either on optimality or robustness, the proposed method accounts for static and dynamic behavior w...

The Hudson River is home to a variety of bridge types that demonstrate the development of structural engineering. This project catalogues many of the bridges crossing the Hudson River to determine what they can teach us about the history of structural engineering, structural forms for bridges, and the relationships bridges have to their environment...

This paper (Segal [8]) discusses Jack Christiansen's design and construction ideas for thin concrete shells and how they translated into specific structures like his hexagonal umbrellas at Seattle's Worlds Fair (1962) and the Bainbridge Island Grandstand (1990) on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Additionally, this paper suggests how Christiansen's i...

The Bacardí Rum Factory in Cuautitlán, México when completed in 1960 consisted of three hyperbolic paraboloid groined vaults and followed from Félix Candela’s observations of the Lambert-St. Louis Airport Terminal (1956) a set of three cylindrical groined vaults. This paper presents the results of finite element analyses performed on the Bacardí Ru...

This thesis presents Jack Christiansen’s design ideas for thin concrete shells and examines the influence of these ideas on the cost, structural behavior, and aesthetics of his completed structures. Formwork and labor are the most expensive components of a concrete shell and Christiansen responds to these factors with a builder’s mentality; he appr...