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Old 05-10-2010, 03:23 AM   #54 (permalink)
Bicycle Bob
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Structure

Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
The upper part is a good strong arch? That would seem to stiffen it along the length?
An arch is a lovely thing for holding up a distrubuted load, such as an aqueduct. Modern, thin arches can be used with care to keep them in compression all over. However, as compression members in a truss, they are just pre-buckled struts. In this case, the lower part of the triangle has a right angle bend it it as well, somewhat stabilized by it's opposite number on the other side. Perhaps some sheet stock has been added to give some shear webbing between the two lower tubes. Hauling lead takes some decent bridge work.
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