Weekly Photo Challenge: Curved ( Bridges)

This week’s DP photo challenge is Curve.

Those who have been following me know that I am a fan of bridges; I  like them as they connect one place to another, overcoming obstacles like river, sea, rivers, gorges etc.

They improve connectivity which we all need.

In the early part of my career, I have been designing and project engineering  some bridges which still stand today, after 40 years of their design and over three decades  of their construction.

This post is about curve bridges; in fact, they are mostly masonry bridges.

In early part of the human history, we have discovered that if we arrange the masonry or stones in the shape of arches, the resulting structure will be put into compression for which stones have a lot of compressive strength.

The stone or masonry of course will need to be cemented together so that there will be a smooth flow of compression in the arches. Human beings have been very clever in erecting curved spans over torrential waters etc..

Many of the bridges were built on this principle and quite a lot of them have lasted for hundreds of years.

Here I will first showcase some of the arch bridges built in the West, the first two examples were taken in Spain, namely, Seville and also Toledo.

The third one is a medieval bridge near France in the area known as Cahorrea.

The fourth one was taken in Central Park, NYC.

The fifth one was taken in Switzerland, this is a contemporary structure with vertical memebers transferring loads from the highway onto a concrete arch. 

The rest of the bridges are built in the East.

The one with three curved spans over a river, looking like three contagious ribbons were taken in Shinkoku, Japan.

This is followed by a three span masonry bridge in the West Lake China, creating an attractive reflection in the West Lake waters.

The last one with the red Autumn foliage was captured in South Korea.

I could go on and on, citing more examples – if I can get hold of my old pictures.

For the time being, please enjoy 🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curved (Bridges)

This week’s DP photo challenge is Curve.

Those who have been following me know that I am a fan of bridges; I  like them as they connect one place to another, overcoming obstacles like river, sea, rivers, gorges etc.

They improve connectivity which we all need.

In the early part of my career, I have been designing and project engineering  some bridges which still stand today, after 40 years of their design and over three decades  of their construction.

This post is about curve bridges; in fact, they are mostly masonry bridges.

In early part of the human history, we have discovered that if we arrange the masonry or stones in the shape of arches, the resulting structure will be put into compression for which stones have a lot of compressive strength.

The stone or masonry of course will need to be cemented together so that there will be a smooth flow of compression in the arches. Human beings have been very clever in erecting curved spans over torrential waters etc..

Many of the bridges were built on this principle and quite a lot of them have lasted for hundreds of years.

Here I will first showcase some of the arch bridges built in the West, the first two examples were taken in Spain, namely, Seville and also Toledo.

The third one is a medieval bridge near France in the area known as Cahorrea.

The fourth one was taken in Central Park, NYC.

The fifth one was taken in Switzerland, this is a contemporary structure with vertical memebers transferring loads from the highway onto a concrete arch. 

The rest of the bridges are built in the East.

The one with three curved spans over a river, looking like three contagious ribbons were taken in Shinkoku, Japan.

This is followed by a three span masonry bridge in the West Lake China, creating an attractive reflection in the West Lake waters.

The last one with the red Autumn foliage was captured in South Korea.

I could go on and on, citing more examples – if I can get hold of my old pictures.

For the time being, please enjoy 🙂

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy Place ( Shinkoku)

Fishing by the river.

This is one of the happy places I visited in Shinkoku, Japan.

Although I didn’t have the chance to fish there, I can appreciate the happiness fishing there taking in the views of the arch bridge and the beautiful surrounding.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Connected ( Shinkoku)

Up on a hill we saw this panoramic view while in Shinkoku.

In the foreground is a suspension bridge. The structures run for miles and miles, connecting many islands, almost stretching to infinity.

The type of structures also change from suspension bridge to cable stayed bridges.

It is a big engineering feat and connects so many places and people!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Converge (Bridge at Switzerland)

I like bridges, those who have been following my blog might have read my several posts on Bridges.

Here is a photo taken in Switzerland.

The bridge is a suspension bridge, with towers near its end.

The hanging cables and the bridge parapets just converge towards the tower.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette (Guangzhou, China)

Here is an interesting image showing Silhouettes in different shades.

The image shows how busy Guangzhou can be, with lots of activities on the bridges crossing the Pearl River in Guangzhou Chinese.

People and cyclists hastily crossing the bridges.

Nearest to us is the steel truss bridge with the truss members in silhouette.

Further away is the Jiefang Bridge (Liberation Bridge), with its bow string shape – arches in each river crossing span with cables suspending from the arches to support the bridge deck.

Of course, you can also see the Pearl River and some buildings in the background.

Again, thanks to my friend CP Chan who provided this interesting image.

Please enjoy!

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette (Pacific Coast Highway SR1)

Here are a couple of images which I think show the most beautiful part when driving along the Pacific Coast or State Route 1.

Both images were taken by my wife as part of her 5400 miles travel in the Southwestern part of the States.

While the National Parks in the SW was her major focus of the trip, the drive back from Las Vegas to San Francisco along the SR1 was one of the most memorable.

The first photo was taken about 16 miles south of Big Sur, looking south at the McWay Rocks. The fog and the sea was just too atmospheric to describe.

The second photo shows part of the Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur.

Both images are wonderful examples of silhouette which I would like to share.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Kintai Bridge, Japan

For this image, I like not only the bridge, but also the green background, the clear water in the river and the serenity.

Kintai Bridge, Japan ( Three of a Kind)

The bridge, which has three arch central spans, is ranked as the third most beautiful bridge in Japan.

Incidentally, I have several pictures here some how associate the bridge with Three.

Three young ladies posing for photos by the bridge pier.

Three pedestrian crossing the bridge.

Three locals, fishing on the bank (to say nothing of the one who waded out in the water to fish).

Actually, while there, I did not see them being successful in catching any fishes!

But maybe, the real joy is participating in the activity and enjoying the view 🙂

Kintai Bridge, Japan (Details)

( There are 5 photos in this post)

In my previous post, I have shown an overview of the footbridge which is ranked the third most beautiful bridge in Japan.

Here, I am going into a bit of details.

There wasn’t sunshine when we were at the bridge site – we were still under the influence of the typhoon Neoguri. The reflections of the bridge in the water prompted me taking this photo.

We bought entrance tickets and walked up and down the bridge to the other end of the bridge. Walking up and down do require quite a bit of effort, here is a close view of the hump in the bridge.

While at the other end, I noted there was a kiosk (guard house) and some pines.  Thought it was a good idea to take photo of the bridge with some pines the image.

I went down to the river bank and have a good look at the underside of the bridge. The whole bridge was of timber construction – the girders, the cross beams and the diagonal bracings etc.

The water below the bridge was running fast – I imagine that the speed will increase with torrential rain. A lot of armour rocks were laid underneath the bridge to protect the bridge pier and  foundations.

Hope this post is not too technical; I may post more on the aesthetic side of the bridge in due course!