Project no.9
Brunel’s Bridges
Historical review and main milestones of Kingdom Brunel‘s life
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of the most successful and famous engineers of the 19th century, responsible for the design of bridges, railway lines, ships and tunnels.
Brunel was born on 9 April 1806 in Portsmouth. His father Mark was a French engineer who had fled France during the revolution. Brunel studied in Paris for three years and returned to England where he worked with his father.
Brunel’s first notable achievement was the planning of the Thames Tunnel from Rotherhithe to Wapping with his father, which was finished in 1843. In1831, Brunel’s design won the competition for Clifton Suspension Bridge across the River Avon.
The most well-known achievement of him was the project of a constructing network of bridges, viaducts and tunnels for the Great Western Railway. 1833, he worked on the line that linked London to Bristol. During its construction, lots of achievements were accomplished, they included the viaducts at Hanwell and Chippenham, the Box Tunnel, the Bristol Temple Meads Station, and Maidenhead Bridge. While working on the line from Swindon to Gloucester and South Wales he thought up the combination of truss, tubular and suspension bridge to cross the Wye at Chepstow. This bridge combination was further enhanced in his famous bridge over the Tamar at Saltash near Plymouth.
Saltash Bridge (Royal Albert Bridge) was built at Saltash Cornwall, 1855-59. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was appointed as chief designer and engineer. His challenge was to build a bridge to be hanged across the River Tamar which is 1100 ft wide.
On 11th April 1859, the first test train, a South Devon Locomotive, crossed the bridge. On 2nd May 1859, His Roy...
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...al constable during the riot.
All of his projects were stunning and unbelievable which involved huge risks. If he hadn't staked other people's money and his own reputation on these projects, Britain would not be able to boast the fastest railway and ships in the world. (Lane, 2006)
As normal people, Brunel did have failure in his designs, atmospheric railway was one of the examples. Theoretically, his atmospheric railway eliminated the need for a heavy locomotive. It had a pipe running between the rails that moved the train using pressure, but could not be made to work properly. It was closed down after six months and the investors lost their money. (Lane, 2006)
Brunel is also a good negotiator, able to persuade people to finance his projects even after earlier ones had failed. All in all, Brunel was a great engineer who was embodied of risk and reward. (Lane, 2006)
Hill a market engineer was known best for being the builder of the Great Northern railroad. He was the onl y entrepreneur in the ninetiinth century who did not get any goverment funds to build his rail roads. His philosophy guided him to succeed and flourish through all the depression and fierce competion, receiving no tax payers dollars. He build the most efficient railroad lines, building the line straight as possible, taking in consideration the best elevations and useing the highest quality bessemer rails. Because he took no Federal aid he formed private contracts with Indian reservations in North Dakota and Montana. Doing this let him cut fuel costs alot and made rail repairs very low. He also Promoted exports, by giving land to immigrant along the line and showed them how to farm. He did experiments on what could be grown and how to produce it in the best way and the best quality. Doing this he was able to export wheat from the farms and also increase the population of the region. Then another thing that made him strive was he only expanded as profits allowed. He moved way slower than the other railroad companys, but when he was done his finances were well in order and sound. He was able to buy out St. Paul and Pacific Rail, also he invested 6 million dollars into 2 steamships and began exporting products from america to china, India, and Japan. this increased Us exports to japan from 7.7 million dollars to 51.7 million dollars in nine years. Also supplying
The Railroad Builders: A Chronicle of the Welding of the States. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 1921. Print. The. Parker, Nathan.
This bridge was necessary to the people of Harpswell due to the weather changes making it impossible for the fishermen and their families to cross from island to island. They used their fishing boats when the weather cooperated, but when storms arose and when the water
Cornelius Vanderbilt is most recognized in the United States history for building the New York Central Railroad System and expanding this system to be over 2,400-miles long. From when Vanderbilt was only eleven-years-old, to the day he died, he was working hard, making money, and becoming known as one of the richest persons of, not only his time, but all time. Vanderbilt was also known for his impeccable business skills in the boating and railroad industry, and how he made such a fortune through these two things. Throughout United States history, many people are admired for their hard work and dedication to their businesses and how successful they are in their fielf, but Cornelius Vanderbilt will always be remembered as the most successful, competitive, hard-working, and intelligient businessman in the hisstory of the United States. (Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline: Who Is Cornelius Vanderbilt? Everything You Need to Know. Page
Samuel F. B. Morse was one of the greatest inventors of the 19th century; he was the invention of the singled-wire telegraph machine that influenced the Industrial Revolution in America and the Morse code led way to many future innovations. Samuel Morse was not just an inventor; he was also a painter that did works such as The Chapel of the Virgin at Subiaco and The Gallery of the Louvre 1831 – 1833 to portraits of famous politicians such as John Adams.
The most prominent thing that he did was a visionary was the completion of the Panama Canal. Roosevelt saw a need for a shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean In the midst of pain and turmoil of the construction of the panama canal, Roosevelt bought the French rights to the construction and oversaw the construction to its completion. This canal promoted the economy for the whole world, and its creation decreased trade time and increased profits for the canal’s investors. Arguably, no other construction has made more of an impact on the American people.
It's amazing to think that a young boy with just a few years of formal schooling went on to become a creative genius and one of the world's most important inventors, receiving more than 50 patents for devices that dramatically changed, improved and modernized the railway system.
Robert Fulton is best known for developing the first successful commercial steamboat. Much like Henry Ford, Robert Fulton didnt actually invent the machine he is most commonly assciated with, but his inovation is what origianlly commercialized the steam boat. Fultons invention did not only lead to new inventions, but also created a new type of transportation around the world.
The 14-year construction of this urban landmark that stretched across the East River was completed in May of 1883. This was not only a bridge; it stood for many significant symbols. During this time period, the industrial aspects of things were at its peak and this represented the strength of the industry. Also it symbolized the use of immigrant workers and how much time and effort they put into making this bridge. Twenty seven men died while creating this bridge and that is something that most people forget when looking at the bridge, people risked there lives while giving a society that people needed. Not only that but it took tons and tons of steel and iron in order to complete this bridge and it was part of the steel and iron boom. This landmark led to the rise o...
...and his passion for the car industry to merge two car companies together in order for them to benefit from each other at a precise time in the market when he was able to be successful. He understood the problems the company faced, the demand in the market, and he had a clear vision on how to solve it. He gave himself timelines and goals and each were met with great success.
In 1940 he returned to duty as district engineer of the Corps of Engineers’ Chicago District. In this capacity he directed the construction of military posts, airfields, and ordnance and aircraft plants within the district, as well as river and harbor work and flood control projects.
He was also a businessman but mainly known as an the greatest American inventor. He created the light bulb during October 18, 1931. Also created many device like the motion picture camera. The light bulb was definitely was one of his greater inventions. They could be used in small spaces that need to be lit and was not toxic and was very easy and cheap to make and buy. Also had the best rendering of a 100 which is the best possible.
- he was a real professional who possessed good character traits (like competence and dignity of labour) and above all a good sense of business.
Though there was over 350 miles of railway laid throughout England in 1801, there was no commercially viable railway implemented before the 1830's. Some rails were still made of wood, others iron and the first trains traveled at the pace of 3.5 miles per hour, significantly slower than the horse drawn coach which traveled at a speed of 9-10 miles per hour. According to Jack Simmons in his book, The Railway in England and Wales, 1840-1914, the Manchester-Liverpool line is notable to mention because it did three things no other railway to date had: 1) all traction was mechanical for the first time; 2) the Company carried both passengers and freight; and 3) the linkage of two commercial towns was exceptional. The concept that a man could leave his town to conduct business in another town and be back in his own home the same day was unheard of. People found this aspect of the railway very enticing. Simmons writes, "There was no doubt at the time about the...
Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s career was greatly influenced by his father. Isambard was born on April 9, 1806 in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. He had two older sisters and a mother named Sophia Kingdom. “His father Mark was a French engineer who fled France during the revolution” ("Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806"). Mark, a fairly successful engineer, was the reason and inspiration of Isambard’s engineering career choice. In preparation, Brunel received an education in both England and France. When Brunel was 16, he started working with his father as an engineer, and at the age of 20, he was working on his first notable project, the Thames Tunnel. It was during the digging of the Thames Tunnel where Isambard encountered a near death experience that would have prevented his later achievements. Although using an innovative tunnel shield, the tunnel collapsed and killed two workers and almost killed Brunel too. ("Biography Isambard Kingdom Brunel"). He marrie...