A Memoir on Suspension Bridges
Comprising the History of their Origin and Progress, and of their Application to Civil and Military Purposes

The first English textbook dedicated to the topic, this 1832 publication describes the history, purpose and construction of suspension bridges.

Charles Stewart Drewry (Author)

9781108070539, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 August 2014

238 pages, 23 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.4 cm, 0.31 kg

Published in 1832, this was the first English textbook dedicated to the topic of suspension bridges in Britain and continental Europe. Having assisted the naval officer and civil engineer Samuel Brown in preparing plans for the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Charles Stewart Drewry (1805–81) used information supplied directly by his engineering contemporaries to give an overview of the principles and challenges involved in the construction of suspension bridges. A key reference for the early history of this type of structure, the book discusses various methods and materials, ranging across rope, wood, chain and wire. Details regarding experiments on the strength of iron bars and wires are also given. Enhanced by lithographic plates and woodcut illustrations, the work is notable for its discussion of many examples of important bridges, such as Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge and the first such construction over the Thames at Hammersmith, as well as designs from overseas.

Preface
1. Historical account of bridges of suspension
2. Experiments on the strength of iron wires, iron bars and chains, and steel bars
3. Account of small wire bridges in Great Britain, and introduction of bar chains for suspension bridges
4. Foreign bridges
5. Designs and bridges in execution
6. Remarks on materials used for suspension bridges
7. On the theory of suspension bridges, and on the strengths of materials used in constructing them
Conclusion
Plates.

Subject Areas: Civil engineering, surveying & building [TN]