Indication №2 - by the superstructure material

English in Business Management.

Unit 1. Advertising. 47

Unit 2. Office characters. 53

Unit 3. Hard to reach. 59

Unit 4. Success. Passion into profit. 66

Unit 5. Image. 72

Unit 6. Etiquette. 80

Unit 7. Data. No privacy. 87

English in Civil Construction.

Unit 1. Construction documents. 92

Unit 2. Health and safety. 98

Unit 3. Civil construction. 104

Unit 4. The building team. 111

Unit 5. Construction materials. 117

Unit 6. Building stones. 124

Unit 7. Concrete. 129

Unit 8. Strip foundations. 133

English in Computer-aided Design.

Unit 1. The digital age. 137

Unit 2. Computers for the disabled. 142

Unit 3. What is a computer?. 148

Unit 4. What is inside a PC system?. 154

Unit 5. Computer languages. 160

English in Highway Engineering.

Unit 1. Problematic passion of having a car. 166

Unit 2. How traffic problems can be solved. 172

Unit 3. Hurricane landfall site protection. 178

Unit 4. Right-of-Way. 184

Unit 5. Road surface. 190

English in Land Cadaster.

Unit 1. Land use planning. 197

Unit 2. The types of land use planning. 203

Unit 3. What is land cadastre. 208

Unit 4. Role of the government in land cadastre. 214

Unit 5. Problem of automating land records. 220

English in Quality Management.

Unit 1. Occupation or profession?. 227

Unit 2. Getting the right staff. 232

Unit 3. Forecasting. 236

Unit 4.Optical instruments. 241

Unit 5. Reinforced -concrete productiоn. 246

English in Railway Construction.

Unit 1. Eurostar tops 10 million passengers. 251

Unit 2. Houston opens second light rail line. 257

Unit 3.Railway stations. 263

Unit 4. Railway track construction. 269

Unit 5. Double-deck train concept 276

English in Railway Maintenance.

Unit 1. Earth track solutions – rails sleeper replacement, track maintenance and construction. 283

Unit 2. Network Rail company. 291

Unit 3. Network Rail company. 297

Unit 4. Sperry Rail - rail flaw detection systems. 303

Unit 5. Sperry Rail - rail flaw detection systems. 310

English in Tunnel Engineering.

Unit 1. Tunnels. 318

Unit 2. History of tunneling. 325

Unit 3. The Channel Tunnel. 333

Unit 4. Tunnel jobs. 343

Unit 5. Tunnel construction techniques. 354

Unit 6. Design and construction methods. 363

English in Bridge Engineering.

Unit 1. Bridges Classification.

Vocabulary.

mention - упоминать

in a wide sense - в широком смысле

provide a crossing over - обеспечить возможность пересечения

be classified - классифицироваться

function - функция

reinforced concrete - железобетон

сable-stayed - вантовый

include - включать

flexible - гнущийся

rigid - негнущийся

service life - срок службы

It has already been mentioned that bridges in a wide sense of this term mean constructional works comprising a superstructure and a substructure. In a narrow sense this term means a structure built to provide a crossing over a river.

In technical literature bridges are classified according to their indications as follows:

Indication №1—by the main road function.

1. Railway bridges.

2. Motorway bridges.

3. Foot-bridges (Pedestrian bridges).

4. City bridges.

5. Pipe lines.

6. Metro-bridges.

7. Combined systems or road-cum-rail bridges (carrying various means of transport).

Indication №2 - by the superstructure material.

2.1. Timber bridges (wooden bridges).

2.2. Stone bridges (masonry bridges).

2.3. Reinforced concrete bridges.

2.4. Metal bridges.

2.5. Steel reinforced concrete bridges (composite bridges).

2.6. Suspension bridges.

2.7. Cable-stayed bridges.

The suspension and cable-stayed bridges include the structures with the flexible stayed ropes as the main carrying element. Curvilinear ropes are used for suspension bridges and rectilinear ropes are used for cable-stayed structures. The ropes are made of metal wire strands and that is why suspension and cable-stayed structures can be regarded as variants of metal bridges.

Indication № 3 – by a structural model.

Beam bridges. (Spans of rectangular shape rest on supports).

Arch bridges. (A curvilinear structure produces a horizontal thrust through skewbacks to the supports).

Frame-type bridges. (Spans and supports are all indivisible rigid structure).

Cantilever bridges. (These structures include cantilever arms, i.e. elements built out of their supports).

Combined systems. (They consist of several simple structures – beam + arch).

Indication № 4 – by the position of the bridge floor.

Deck bridges.

Through bridges.

Half-through bridges.

Indication № 5 – by the overall bridge length.

Short bridges (up to 25 m long).

Medium bridges (from 25 to 100 m long).

Long bridges (more than 100 m long).

Indication № 6 – by the number of spans.

Single-span bridges.

Double-span bridges.

Three-span bridges.

Multi-span bridges.

Indication № 7 – by the service life.

Permanent bridges. (Service life is 80-100 years.)

Temporary bridges. (Service life is about 10-15 years.)

Short-term bridges. (They are built for the period from two – three days to one year.)

In addition to the mentioned bridge types there are drawbridges (movable bridges), floating (raft) bridges and the ferrying.

Answer the questions:

1. How bridges are classified in technical literature?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of beam bridges?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of truss bridges?

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of cable-stayed bridges?

5. What materials are most commonly used and why?

Exercises:

1) Find the equivalents:

трубопровод

совмещенный мост (для автомобильного и ж/д транспорта)

железобетонный

вантовый мост

балочный мост

рамный мост

балочно-консольный мост

комбинированный мост с ездой посередине

мост с ездой понизу

сквозная ферма с ездой понизу

разводной; подъемный мост

2) Match the opposite adjectives:

long, temporary, pedestrian, single-span, vertical, flexible

1. short bridge ≠

2. multi-span bridge ≠

3. permanent bridge ≠

4. motorway bridge ≠

5. horizontal thrust ≠

6. rigid structure ≠

3) Complete the sentences:

1. The term «bridge» means …

2. According to their function bridges are classified into …

3. According to the superstructure material bridges are classified into …

4. A suspension bridge consists of …

5. Service life of temporary bridges is …

6. Combined systems consist of …

7. I know different types of bridges, for example …

4) Change the sentences from Active into Passive Voice:

1. We consider bridge building to be a science.

2. We believe many bridges to have been constructed 2000 years ago.

3. Nature has given to man the idea of bridge.

4. We know the Romans to have brought arch bridge construction to its high degree of perfection.

References: http://www.shortspansteelbridges.org/Gallery/Images.aspx

Unit 2. Bridge or Tunnel.

Vocabulary.

obstacle — препятствие

water space — водный массив

by means of — с помощью

connect — соединять

rapid increase — быстрый рост

land-based — наземный

trade and commerce — торговля

cross over — пересекать

bear in mind — иметь в виду

sea current — морское течение

vessel — судно

seabed — морское дно

provide — обеспечивать

sufficient — достаточный

require — требовать

embankment- насыпь

depend (on) — зависеть

put into operation — запускать

high-speed — высокоскоростной

severe — суровый

The vast water areas all over the world represent the world obstacles for people’s communication. A man has been striving to subdue water spaces by means of the main road connecting continents, islands, etc. because the economy becomes globolised.

The English Channel separating Great Britain and Europe the Straits of Gibraltar between Europe and Africa, the Bosporus between Europe and Asia, the Bering Strait connecting the Eurasian and American continents, Japanese-islands might offer the missing link for rapid increase land-based transportation to promote improved trade and commerce to facilitate greater economic integration.

Builders always have the choice between bridging and tunneling in crossing over or under a large waterway. Each sort of a structure offers its advantages and shortcomings. One should bear in mind the influence of strong sea currents, great water depth, and large capacity vessels with great boundary dimensions (the under clearance of the bridges must be about 65 m high not to prevent shipping), complicated geological seabed structure. Seabed silt is a rather soft foundation for supports footing. In addition these regions are seismically dangerous and constructional works must provide sufficient strength against seismic waves.

The advantages of the bridge crossing may be the following:

1. Low cost of construction in comparison with a tunnel structure though sometimes it may be quite the opposite.

2. Bridges require lower maintenance costs because tunnels call outlays for water discharging, ventilation, illumination, etc. The longer subaquatic structure is, the heavier outlays are required.

The advantages of the tunnel are:

1. Free shipping is very important under intensive navigation. Tunnels are much safer as compared to the bridge crossing because bridge supports must be calculated for the berthing impact. Being deep beneath the water surface, tunnels do not interfere with navigation. In addition, weather conditions cannot influence the traffic.

2. The architectural view of the tunnel is more attractive because there is no need for high approach embankments.

The final decision for choosing a bridge or a tunnel depends on many factors and not only on technical ones. In some cases bridges are much more preferable. In 1974 the bridge across the Bosporus was erected. In 1985 the bridge crossings connected some Japan islands.

The strait separating Denmark and Europe was also spanned by a bridge.

But the choice fell on a tunnel underneath the English Channel. In 1994 the railway tunnel from Great Britain to France was put into operation. It provides a high-speed rail link with shuttle trains reducing the travel time between the two countries to three-and-a-half hours. Needless to say that the cost of this tunnel is enormous. Another group of Japanese-islands were also connected by the tunnels in 1987.

The problem «a bridge or a tunnel» is being discussed for the type of structures in the nearest future in Italy and across the Straits of Gibraltar and the Bering Strait. The choice falls on a bridge crossing in Europe and on a tunnel for the severe northern conditions.

Answer the questions:

1. What are the advantages of tunnels?

2. What are the disadvantages of tunnels?

3. What are the advantages of bridges?

4. What are the disadvantages of bridges?

Exercises:

1) Find the equivalents:

world obstacles; sea currents; boundary dimensions; seabed silt; maintenance costs; bridge supports; weather conditions; railway tunnel; travel time

2) Choose the best variant:

1. There always was a choice between bridging and tunneling in … over or under a large waterway.

a) crossing b) crippling c) cruising

2. Bridges require lower maintenance … than tunnels.

a) corrosion b) corrugations c) costs

3. Tunnels are much … as compared to the bridge crossing.

a) saving b) saver c) safer

4. Weather conditions cannot influence the … through tunnels.

a) traffic b) transfer c) transit

5. The cost of the tunnel under the English … is enormous.

a) Cheddar b) Channel c) Canal

3) Find the opposites to the words:

gathering _____________

slow _________________

drawback_____________

allow_________________

bound (adj.) ___________

lessening _____________

small________________

shallow _____________

4) Are the sentences True or False? Correct the wrong ones:

1. ______ The Straits of Gibraltar separates Europe from Africa.

2. ______ The under clearance of the bridges must be over 60 m high not to prevent shipping.

3. ______ For the first time the Bosporus was bridged in 1973.

4. ______ Tunnels require lower maintenance costs.

5. ______ Vessels can navigate much easier if there are no bridges.

6. ______ The Bosporus bridge managed to withstand the wind blows up to 162 km per hour.

References: http://www.bris.ac.uk/civilengineering/bridges/Pages.html