Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

[studlymandingo]

Water Bridge in Germany ..... What a feat!
Six years, 500 million euros, 918 meters long... now this is engineering! This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany, as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin . The photo was taken on the day of inauguration.


To those who appreciate engineering projects, here's a puzzle for you armchair engineers and physicists. Did that bridge have to be designed to withstand the additional weight of ship and barge traffic, or just the weight of the water?
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[treedancer]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Sure would like too see some of the engineering plans/[what they lined the bottom with before they put the water in], plus if there is a toll??? pretty cool.


Better keep the plug in that sucker for sure.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Q " Did that bridge have to be designed to withstand the additional weight of ship and barge traffic, or just the weight of the water? "


A: Just the weight of the water. Boats on the water displace an amount of water equal to their weight. So there is no change in the weight the structure has to suppport, regardless how many boats are floating on it.

Now if the boats sink, thats another story all together.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Q " Did that bridge have to be designed to withstand the additional weight of ship and barge traffic, or just the weight of the water? "


A: Just the weight of the water. Boats on the water displace an amount of water equal to their weight. So there is no change in the weight the structure has to suppport, regardless how many boats are floating on it.

Now if the boats sink, thats another story all together.

Only partially true. If the canal is a closed system, then the added weight of the boats would be spread evenly across the entire surface of the water. Not as much as the entire weight of the boat on the bridge but still an addition in weight.

 

[12Footer]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Has to be photochop. Not enough draft for those barges.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Has to be photochop. Not enough draft for those barges.

good point. No wake either.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

I guess it's for real. WikiTravel briefly refers to it in their Magdesburg entry. Referred to as a waterway cross. Still, not so much as a ripple from any of those boats? Makes ya wonder.

click

Snopes

 

[rolmops]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Oh it is plenty real and it is not the only one around.These river/canal crossings have been around in the Netherlands since the mid eighteen hundreds. They were the logical solution for water transport expediency.
You can actually see horse drawn barges on bridges like these in certain pictures of the dutch waterways.
As for sealing the bottom.I do not know how they did this one,but the old fashioned ones were concrete covered with a layer of pig dung which is a great sealant.they may have abandoned the dung because the propellers of modern ships stir up the bottom muck too much.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Ayuh,........

And the Romans called them Viaducts............ Kind of an Old Concept,.. Isn't It,..??....

 

[rolmops]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Ayuh,........

And the Romans called them Viaducts............ Kind of an Old Concept,.. Isn't It,..??....

I think you had better google that one.

 

[12Footer]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

And another thing... What kind of boat captian in the buisness of transporting people would leave the dock practically empty? All the people are WALKING?
I know the folks over there are a tad "different", but...
Waddup,dawg?

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Those barges seem pretty close together. I would have to question the captains judgement "tailgating" that closely to another boat.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

I think you had better google that one.

Googled Roman Viaducts/ Aquaducts.......

Like I said,....... It's a Pretty Old Concept......

The only difference is the Boats......

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Those barges seem pretty close together. I would have to question the captains judgement "tailgating" that closely to another boat.

I looked a little more into it. This was the opening ceremony hence all of the people who were actually walking faster than the boats. There were a certain number of boats who were selected to do the crossing ceremony and they were barely moving through the parade.​

 

[dirtyoldman]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Only partially true. If the canal is a closed system, then the added weight of the boats would be spread evenly across the entire surface of the water. Not as much as the entire weight of the boat on the bridge but still an addition in weight.

True, but that's not really a closed system. If you fill it all the way up and but a boat in it, the water runs right over the side. So you're still at the water weight.

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Thanks for the clairification brother. I guess that goes a long way to explaining the near non-existant wakes as well.

 

[dirtyoldman]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

My grandpa likes engineering problems. While typing this riddle up in a manner that would lead him to a different conclusion (irrelevant data, etc...) I realized my answer was wrong.

crap.

 

[Pony]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Googled Roman Viaducts/ Aquaducts.......

Like I said,....... It's a Pretty Old Concept......

The only difference is the Boats......

Ditto. They had some really expansive ones too. The only other differences are the width and the fact that the Romans covered the water channel. Its incredible to think the the slope of the Roman aquaducts was something like 1:1000.

I'd agree on the old concept......been around for 2,322 years now.

Rolmops you have heard of the Pon du Gaurd right??

 

[rolmops]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

The aqua duct has been around for 24 centuries.It is just extremely rare that 2 different waterways of any navigable consequence are to be found in the roman world.Mostly because the Roman empire was in semi-arid areas.
The only times that different aqueducts were used by the Romans was when different quality water was brought in from different places.Usually it was one aqua duct that carried water fit for human consumption while the other was for animal and slave consumption.These water lines would come from different places and go to different places and naturally they would cross each other at times.
The water supply in many desert fortifications had to come across deep canyons and the romans even discovered the concept of piping in water and using the concept of communicating vessels.
Most of my knowledge of Roman architecture and engineering comes from Israel and Turkey and much less from Italy or France.I had never heard of Pont Du Gard.

 

[jinx]

Re: Waterbridge...Have you guys seen this?

Here's one across the river from me on the old C&O canal along the Potomac.

The canal crosses the Monocacy River on this aqueduct, built in 1829. The canal was in service until 1924 hauling coal and wheat at 4 miles an hour by mule towed barges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Usa_maryland_monocacy_aqueduct_img_30298.jpg