CONCRETE VS. STEEL AERIAL GUIDEWAY TRADEOFFS

The designer of an aerial guideway structure for new transit systems has a choice of two major construction materials concrete and steel. His selection will depend largely on four considerations: esthetic, structural, economic, and acoustical. Esthetic considerations cover such matters as configuration, compatibility of the structure with the environment, color, and surface texture. Structural considerations cover foundation requirements and size and shape of members to accommodate the design loads. Economic considerations include comparative costs of girders of various lengths, ease of installation in available right-of-way, comparison techniques possible through the use of one material or another, capability of local materials producers in terms of both technological expertise and plant capacity, and comparative cost of maintenance. Acoustical considerations include the ability of the material to minimize noise or to permit treatment which will absorb noise. Neither steel nor concrete offers all of the characteristics sought. By a process of both objective analysis and good taste, the designer selects one or the other, or produces a composite design to incorporate the better features of both.

• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers

  485 Lexington Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10017
• Authors:
  • Froid, S H
  • Sacco, J J
• Publication Date: 1974-2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Intelligent transportation systems; Personal rapid transit
• Old TRIS Terms: Advanced systems
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00056776
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Report/Paper Numbers: Preprint
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 22 1981 12:00AM