Squire Whipple—Father of Iron Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 7, Issue 3
Abstract
The 19th century saw the United States rise from an agricultural country with settlements primarily along the ocean or navigable rivers to a major industrial power with the country explored and settled. This rapid development was made possible in part by engineers who designed and built our canals and railroads. One such man was Squire Whipple. This paper describes the impact he made on the use of cast and wrought iron in bridge building. In addition he is known worldwide as the man who developed the technique of analyzing a truss and put those ideas into print in his remarkable book of 1847 on bridge building.
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References
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Copyright
Copyright © 2002 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 21, 2000
Accepted: Jul 6, 2001
Published online: Apr 15, 2002
Published in print: May 2002
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