Image
C edit:
Alliso
Ca te
via
Geo gia
Tech
Resea ch
News
Ce te
A
eti ed
wi d
tu bi e
blade
that
o ce
ge e ated
elect icity
at
a
Colo ado
wi d
fa m
has
fou d
a
u expected
seco d
life
i
Atla ta,
as
a
pedest ia
b idge.
Acco di g
to
the
Geo gia
Tech
Resea ch
News
Ce te ,
a
15-met e
(about
50-foot)
blade
weighi g
oughly
7,000
pou ds
was
t a spo ted
f om
Colo ado
a d
i stalled
ac oss
a
c eek
at
Beave b ook
Pa k
i
o thwest
Atla ta.
The
p oject
has
c eated
the
fi st
b idge
of
its
ki d
i
the
U ited
States,
tu i g
a
decommissio ed
piece
of
e ewable-e e gy
i f ast uctu e
i to
a
fu ctio al
pa t
of
a
public
pa k.
F om
tu bi e
to
b idge
The
idea
bega
with
a
p actical
p oblem
at
Beave b ook
Pa k.
Jud
Ready,
a
p i cipal
esea ch
e gi ee
at
the
Geo gia
Tech
Resea ch
I stitute,
had
bee
i volved
with
the
pa k
fo
yea s.
While
imp oveme ts
had
added
a
exe cise
t ail,
playg ou ds,
a
gazebo
a d
ball
fields,
visito s
still
could
ot
easily
walk
th ough
the
wooded
po tio
because
a
c eek
cut
ac oss
the
oute.A
g a t
f om
Pa k
P ide
helped
with
the
pa k’s
imp oveme t
effo ts,
but
it
was
ot
e ough
to
co st uct
a
co ve tio al
b idge.
Ready
the
lea ed
about
esea ch
bei g
ca ied
out
by
his
Geo gia
Tech
colleague
Russell
Ge t y,
a
p ofesso
i
the
School
of
A chitectu e
a d
a
membe
of
the
Re-Wi d
Netwo k,
which
i vestigates
ways
to
give
eti ed
wi d
tu bi e
blades
ew
st uctu al
uses.Rathe
tha
b eaki g
the
blade
dow
i to
smalle
mate ials,
the
team
kept
it
la gely
i tact
a d
i co po ated
it
i to
the
b idge.
This
app oach
is
k ow
as
adaptive
euse.
The
disti ctio
is
impo ta t
because
the
team
was
able
to
p ese ve
the
blade’s
existi g
st uctu al
capabilities
athe
tha
etu i g
the
mate ial
to
its
o igi al
state.Ge t y
desc ibed
the
app oach
as
p ese vi g
the
blade’s
st uctu al
capabilities
i stead
of
educi g
it
to
a othe
aw
mate ial.
I
othe
wo ds,
the
object
that
was
o igi ally
e gi ee ed
to
withsta d
e o mous
fo ces
while
otati g
high
above
the
g ou d
ca
co ti ue
pe fo mi g
a
st uctu al
ole
afte
its
life
as
a
tu bi e
compo e t
e ds.
Image
C edit:
Alliso
Ca te
via
Geo gia
Tech
Resea ch
News
Ce te
A
7,000-pou d
e gi ee i g
challe ge
Getti g
the
blade
to
Atla ta
was
o ly
the
begi i g.
The
15-met e
st uctu e
weighed
app oximately
7,000
pou ds
a d
had
to
make
the
jou ey
f om
its
fo me
home
at
a
Colo ado
wi d
fa m
to
a
public
pa k
i
Geo gia.The
p oject
was
suppo ted
by
fu di g
f om
the
Natio al
Scie ce
Fou datio ,
the
U.S.
Depa tme t
of
E e gy
a d
wi d
tu bi e
ma ufactu e
Sieme s
Gamesa.
A
team
i volvi g
Geo gia
Tech
stude ts,
esea che s
a d
alum i
wo ked
o
eve ythi g
f om
su veyi g
the
pa k
to
u de sta di g
the
blade’s
u usual
geomet y
a d
calculati g
how
it
would
behave
as
pa t
of
a
b idge.Desig i g
the
st uctu e
p ese ted
a
challe ge
because
co ve tio al
buildi g
a d
b idge
codes
co tai
limited
guida ce
fo
usi g
eti ed
tu bi e
blades
as
st uctu al
compo e ts.
The
team
the efo e
had
to
develop
much
of
the
st uctu al
system
specifically
fo
the
p oject.A chitectu e
g aduate
Cayleigh
Nicholso
su veyed
the
pa k
to
dete mi e
the
b idge’s
locatio ,
while
Sakshi
Kakkad
developed
softwa e
to
study
the
blade’s
geomet y
a d
dete mi e
how
it
could
be
positio ed.
Civil
e gi ee i g
stude t
Gab iel
Ackall
wo ked
o
calculati g
st esses
a d
deflectio s,
helpi g
e su e
the
st uctu e
would
meet
safety
equi eme ts
a d
city
egulatio s.The
u usual
mate ial
also
equi ed
the
esea che s
to
d aw
o
mo e
tha
half
a
doze
yea s
of
p evious
wi d
tu bi e
blade
testi g
a d
p ototypi g.
Adva ced
modelli g
was
combi ed
with
that
esea ch
to
dete mi e
how
the
eti ed
blade
could
safely
fu ctio
as
a
pedest ia
b idge.
Givi g
old
blades
a
seco d
life
Reusi g
the
blades
i
i f ast uctu e
offe s
a othe
possibility:
thei
existi g
st e gth
a d
shape
ca
become
pa t
of
a
ew
st uctu e.
The
Beave b ook
b idge
also
builds
o
ea lie
wo k
by
the
Re-Wi d
Netwo k.
The
o ga isatio
had
al eady
co st ucted
two
simila
pedest ia
b idges
i
I ela d,
maki g
the
Atla ta
i stallatio
its
fi st
such
b idge
i
the
U ited
States.The
b idge
was
i stalled
i
mid-Ma ch
2025
by
a
16-pe so
c ew
i volvi g
co st uctio
wo ke s,
a
e ectio
compa y
a d
i o wo ke s.
A
local
t ee
compa y
also
helped
by
p u i g
t ees
so
a
c a e
could
safely
lift
the
massive
blade
i to
positio .What
bega
as
a
eti ed
compo e t
f om
a
Colo ado
wi d
fa m
is
ow
pa t
of
Atla ta’s
eve yday
public
i f ast uctu e.
Fo
people
walki g
th ough
Beave b ook
Pa k,
the
st uctu e
p ovides
a
simple
way
ac oss
a
c eek.
But
its
la ge
sig ifica ce
lies
i
what
it
ep ese ts:
a
wi d
tu bi e
blade
that
has
moved
beyo d
elect icity
ge e atio
a d
take
o
a
completely
diffe e t
ole
as
a
b idge.
