Guest Blog Post - by Tyler Ley's Overview of the ATC If you’ve heard me talk recently, you have probably heard me mention the ATC, or the Autonomous Truck Corridor.  This is an idea that I came up with by working with an awesome team at Oklahoma State, Penn State, and University North Carolina Charlotte.  This is an idea that has infected my brain. I can’t get it out, and so I thought I would write a blog post about it. I also have some videos I have made about the concept at the end of the post. The US National Highway System (NHS) is critical for the efficient transport of goods and the safety and freedom of the travelling public.  A special vehicle on the NHS is heavy freight trucks. Here are a few of the issues related to heavy freight trucks on the NHS: It is uncomfortable for passenger vehicles to travel with freight trucks because of the large size and their high propensity for injury-related accidents.  Conflicts between passenger vehicles and trucks cause more than 4,000 fatalities and an equal amount of incapacitations every year. A surprising statistic is that 1 in 10 highway deaths involve a heavy truck [1]. The fuel for freight trucks is costly and is responsible for 7% of greenhouse gas emissions.  There is a 30% understaffing in qualified truck drivers and there is an estimated $63B per year loss due to traffic delays.  This is a huge issue for the trucking industry. These freight trucks carry more than 50% of the US Gross Domestic Product, and the traffic loadings from freight trucks are the primary input for the design calculations for all roads and bridges.  Most roadways are assumed to fail from fatigue loading. Past studies have shown that damage is increased in a roadway by the fourth power [2]. This means that if the loading of a vehicle is only increased by 10% then the damage will be nearly 50% (1.1^4 = 1.46). This means that if a truck axle is loaded to 20,000 lbs and a typical sedan is 2,000 lbs then the truck will cause 10,000x more damage. By removing these trucks from the roadways, the service life of existing pavements will be greatly extended. Vehicle manufacturers are developing autonomous and electric trucks to address these needs but their limited haul distances and challenges interfacing with passenger vehicles have not allowed them to enter the market yet.  If these needs are addressed it would create a monumental improvement in the US economy while improving the lives of the travelling public, and reducing the impact on the environment. I am part of a team of engineers who have a vision for a heavy freight truck corridor with a long life that uses autonomous, continuously powered, and electric heavy freight trucks.  This corridor will be separated from passenger cars, specially designed for autonomous heavy freight trucks, and have an overhead electric power line to provide constant power. We call it the Autonomous Truck Corridor or ATC for short.  Pretty cool name right?  The ATC is a game-changer because the freight trucks can travel continuously without stopping, the vehicles can travel at higher speeds and at closer spacing, and the vehicles will be separated from passenger vehicles and so they can be autonomous. Batteries on the trucks will be charged so that they can remain powered once they leave the ATC to make local deliveries.  This corridor will be largely built using existing right of way or it can be added as major highways are expanded. This will reduce land acquisition cost, allow freight to follow existing delivery lines, and leverage existing infrastructure. This will create unbelievable economic opportunities for the US.   ​ The ATC will reduce delivery times up to 50% while reducing traffic on existing highways.  This reduction in traffic will improve diver safety and extend the life of existing roadways.  The proposed electric motors are more energy-efficient and will reduce costs and emissions by > 25% per mile.  A portion of these savings could be used to pay for the cost and maintenance of the ATC. View Tyler's blog here References: “Large Trucks”. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute. December 2017. https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/large-trucks/fatalityfacts/large-trucksYang H. Huang. “Pavement Analysis and Design” (2nd Edition). Pearson. 2003. A bit about the Author Source of information: www.tylerley.com ​I have​ more than 20 years of experience in the fields of structural and concrete materials engineering.  During this time I have worked as an engineer with a design consultant, construction contractor, government agency, and as a professor.  This practical experience has made me a better teacher and researcher.  I enjoy teaching.  Some of the awards that I have received include: the Halliburton Excellent Young Teaching Award in 2011, the Williams Foundation Professor in 2013 for the College of Engineering, the ACI Walter P. Moore Faculty Achievement Award in 2014, the Researcher of the Year Award from the College of Engineering in 2014, Halliburton Excellent Young Professor in 2014, the OSU Regents Research Award in 2014, and the ACPA Martin J. Knutson Award in 2017 and was named the outstanding professor at a research university by the Oklahoma Foundation of Excellence in 2018. I am very active in the American Concrete Institute where I am a voting member of the Concrete Durability, Material Science, Concrete Proportioning, and Sustainability Technical committees.  In addition, I serve on the executive committee of the National Concrete Consortium, a group made up of DOT engineers from 35 different states.  I also served as the president of the American Ceramics Society Cements Division in 2016.  I have a passion for creating innovative learning content.  My websites are visited by over 50,000 people per year and my education content on YouTube has been watched over 2.5 million times.

Notre-Dame de Reims meaning "Our Lady of Reims", known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the French city of its same name. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is famous for being the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France. Construction of Reims Cathedral began in the 13th century and concluded in the 15th century. The cathedral, a major tourist destination, receives about one million visitors annually. Visit Structures Insider's homepage for more stories. Fast Facts🚧 Length: 149.17 m (489.4 ft) Floor area: 6,650 m2 (71,600 sq ft) Number of towers: 2 Tower height: 81 m (266 ft) Bells: 2 (in the south tower) History 𓀝 In 816, the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious was crowned in Reims by Pope Stephen IV. On 18 October 862, in the presence of King Charles the Bald, Hincmar dedicated the new church, which measured 86 m (282 ft) and had two transepts. At the beginning of the 10th century, an ancient crypt underneath the original church was rediscovered. Under Archbishop Hervé, the crypt (which had been the initial centre of the previous churches above it) was cleared, renovated, and then rededicated to Saint Remi. The altar has been located above the crypt for 15 centuries. Architecture🏢 The cathedral’s historic site, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991, includes the former Abbey of Saint-Rémi (begun about 1170 and containing the remains of the 5th–6th-century archbishop St. Remigius) and the archepiscopal Tau Palace (reconstructed in the 17th century). The restoration was undertaken in the 20th century after the cathedral was seriously damaged by shelling during World War I. The monument displays a classic unity to which the successive builders remained faithful, through the decades, by conserving as closely as possible the architectural vision adopted during the years of 1210-1230. Source: www.britannica.com Read more: Everything you need to know about Brussels Town Hall Top 5 engineering consulting firms 2019 Are you visiting Portugal? 🇵🇹 YOU definitely don't want to miss visiting the Batalha Monastery What's the most impressive ancient structure in the world?

A large section of the roof has completely destroyed at Dutch club AZ Alkmaar's stadium, due to high-speed winds in the Netherlands. AZ Alkmaar will launch an investigation after part of the roof at the AFAS Stadium collapsed on Saturday. No injuries were recorded. The Dutch Eredivisie club's general manager Robert Eenhorn said at a press conference where he also announced an investigation into the incident. He said: "This surprised us all. We are very shocked but especially happy that there was no human suffering. "In the coming days we will conduct a study with experts in this field. Only when that investigation has been done can we elaborate on the matter. It is much too early for that now." Their next home game is a Europa League third-round qualifier against Ukraine's FC Mariupol on Thursday. However the match is not confirmed to happen. Eenhorn said: "No matches will be played in the stadium if the situation is not safe." Source: BBC , EveningStandard Follow us on Facebook @structuresinsider

STORM DENNIS will thrash Britain with severe winds and unleash torrential downpours this weekend, just one week after areas were flooded and people were forced from their homes after Storm Ciara. The government said it was investing "record" amounts in new flood defences that would protect 300,000 homes. However, the Environment Agency recently warned that whole communities may need to be moved away from coasts as a result of flooding caused by the climate crisis. EasyJet has cancelled more than 60 flights due to depart on Sunday 👉 Visit Structures Insider's homepage for more stories.👈 How the UK Environmental Agency is getting ready for the storm. TheGuardian Reports: By late on Saturday night there were 104 active flood warnings in England and Wales urging people to take immediate action, with another 369 flood alerts. The Met Office has issued eight weather warnings covering most of the UK for this weekend, with hundreds of homes and businesses at risk of flooding. EasyJet has cancelled more than 60 flights due to depart on Sunday, most of its route to Geneva, as well as to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands. The worst effects were felt at sea, with two bodies pulled from the waters off the Kent coast. One man was found off Herne Bay and declared dead at the scene, while another lost his life after falling from an oil tanker. His body was found near Margate. PHOTO of the day. The aftermath of Storm Desmond in Carlisle. The research showed that river defences prevented £2.2bn worth of damage in Cumbria in December 2015. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Closer examination of what happened in Cumbria in December 2015 shows the flooding caused by Storm Desmond would have done damage worth three-and-a-half times as much without river water defences – £2.8bn rather than £600m. Sources: www.express.co.uk/news/weather, theguardian.com

According to BBC: Emergency work is under way to repair the Toddbrook Reservoir dam in Derbyshire after it was damaged by heavy rain. About 1,500 residents were evacuated from Whaley Bridge on Thursday evening amid fears they were in "mortal danger". Engineers pumped water out of the reservoir in an attempt to stop up to 300 million gallons of water bursting through the damaged dam. An RAF Chinook is flying in repair materials to shore up the dam and dropping 400 tonnes of aggregate to stop more water getting in. Toddbrook Reservoir - Facts 📐📚 Toddbrook Reservoir opened in 1838 as a feeder for the Peak Forest Canal. It is located near the town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, England. Catchment area: 1,700 ha (4,200 acres). Surface area1: 4.6 ha (36 acres). Max. depth: 24 m (79 ft). Water volume: 1,288,000 cubic metres (283,000,000 imp gal). Surface elevation: 185.69 m (609.2 ft). Materials of dam: clay with sands and gravel. Watch the interview of PM Boris Johnson below 👇 Type of embankment The Toddbrook Reservoir dam uses an earth embankment system to retain the water mass of the reservoir. The design of the dam has to account for: #1 The Stability against sliding failure of the embankment. #2 Seepage Through Embankment and Foundation. #3 Seismic stability (Not applicable for UK dams) Source: BBC, The Guardian

In 1945 a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the side of the Empire State Building. The accident didn't compromise the building's integrity but damaged floors 78 to 80. However, fourteen deaths were recorded. Damage estimated at $14 million in 2018. 👉 Visit Structures Insider's homepage for more stories.👈 Details 🗂 On Saturday, July 28, 1945, Lieut. Col. William F. Smith Jr. was piloting a B-25 Mitchell bomber on a routine personnel transport mission from Bedford Army Air Field in Massachusetts to Newark Airport in New Jersey. At 9:40 a.m., the aircraft crashed into the north side of the building carving an 18-by-20-foot (5.5 m × 6.1 m) hole where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located. One engine shot through the Southside opposite the impact and flew as far as the next block, dropping 900 feet (270 m) and landing on the roof of a nearby building and starting a fire that destroyed a penthouse art studio. The other engine and part of the landing gear plummeted down an elevator shaft. The resulting fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. It is still the only significant fire at such a height to be brought under control. Why the World Trade Centre didn't survive the hit and Empire State Building did? ✈️💥 WTC towers 1 and 2 were hit by Boeing 767 airliners travelling at around 500 MPH. At the time of impact, these aircraft weighed approximately 150 tons each and had an estimated 10,000 gallons of jet fuel on board that exploded on impact. The Empire State Building was hit by a B-25 medium bomber. The aircraft was lost over New York in fog and was trying to land. The B-25 probably weighed less than 15 tons at impact and was likely going under 200 MPH (320 km) at the time of impact. Fuel load at impact is unknown, however, it was coming in to land so was unlikely to be over 300 gallons. Conclusion🧐 The mass of the aircraft that hit the WTC was approximately 10 times as great. The speed of the aircraft that hit the WTC was over twice that of the B-25. That means the force of the impact on the WTC was over 20 times as great. Fuel in the B-25 was approximately 3% that of the fuel on the 767s at impact. Source: Wikipedia, Charles Fletcher (Quora) Follow us on Facebook @structuresinsider

Quick FACTS The Atomium consists of 9 spheres, representing an iron crystal magnified 150 billion times. The structure is 102 metres (335ft) Heigh and 18 metres (59ft) in diameter. The central tube contains the fastest elevator of the time (5 m/s). It allows 22 people to reach the summit in 23 seconds. The Atomium is, at once, an object, a place, a space, a Utopia and the only symbol of its kind in the world, which eludes any kind of classification. Visit Structures Insider's homepage for more stories Structural Design 🏗 The Atomium is a landmark building in Brussels, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World Expo (Expo 58). It is located on the Heysel Plateau, where the exhibition took place. It is now a museum. Three of the four top spheres lack vertical support and hence are not open to the public for safety reasons, although the sphere at the pinnacle is open to the public. The original design called for no supports; the structure was simply to rest on the spheres. Wind tunnel tests proved that the structure would have toppled in an 80 km/h (50 mph) wind (140 km/h (90 mph) winds have been recorded in Belgium). Support columns were added to achieve enough resistance against overturning. You May Also Like: What's the most impressive ancient structure in the world? The Atomium, designed to last six months, was not destined to survive the 1958 World Expo, but its popularity and success made it a major element of the Brussels landscape. Its destruction was therefore postponed year after year until the city's authorities decided to keep it. However, for thirty years, little maintenance work was done. The Ultimate tour guide for Brussels Available to buy on Amazon for only £5.75

Structure Review General Info 🏟📚 Construction period: October 2002 - May 2005 Capacity: 75,000 Cost: €340 million Structural Engineer: Arup Architects: Herzog & de MeuronArupSport Field size: 105 x 68 m ( 115 x 75 yd) Innovation: full ETFE exterior inflated panels The home arena of Bayern Munich Construction🏗 - Total concrete used during stadium construction: 120,000 m³ - Total concrete used for the parking garage: 85,000 m³ - Total steel used during stadium construction: 22,000 tonnes - Total steel used for the parking garage: 14,000 tonnes ETFE ♺ 2,874 ETFE-foil air panels that are kept inflated with dry air to a differential pressure of 3.5 Pa. ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) consists of modified copolymers of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene. It has been widely used in the construction industry in recent years. It has been suggested that the use of ETFE in construction can reduce build cost by 10% on small projects and up to 60% on large-scale projects. Costs are also reduced during the installation process when sheets of ETFE film can be 'welded' together with a blow torch and spans of up to 180 ft (55 m ) can be achieved with sufficient structural support. ETFE does not shrink or expand when heated. ETFE can retain its transparency and strength for over 30 years. In addition, ETFE has a high level of heat retention, retaining longwave thermal radiation and creating a 'greenhouse effect', which can reduce energy costs by up to 30%. ETFE is often called a miracle construction material for tensile architecture. ETFE is strong enough to bear 400 times its own weight. It can be stretchable to three times its length without loss of elasticity and can be repaired by welding patches of tape over tears. You May Also Like: Camp Nou Memorials Retrace the footsteps of FC Barcelona's legendary players and experience the Barça passion on this 1.5-hour tour that's perfect...Camp Nou... Read More... March 1997 - The Vision The two Munich clubs achieved some remarkable successes this year. According to Franz Beckenbauer, "Watching football should be fun and a great experience for everyone." And that is precisely why the fans are demanding a new stadium designed for football. But the city doesn't want to build an entirely new facility, but rather to restructure the Olympic stadium. May 2002: Building application After completion of the regional planning application in December as a precondition to obtaining the right to build, the building application is officially submitted. 26 March 2004: Basic structural work completed The basic shell of the stadium is completed on schedule. The final 4.5 cubic meters of concrete are ceremonially poured into the last area in the stadium to be concreted. 18 September 2004: the First seat installed After all the pre-cast terracing elements and stairway blocks are mounted in all three tiers, the first silver-grey seats are installed in the executive box area. 5 August 2005: Inaugural match A capacity 66,000 crowd witness Bayern defeat Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga opening match, the first-ever competitive fixture at the new stadium Source: Wikipedia, Designing Buildings Wiki Drop us a question in Quora