Introduction
Problem
Sandy Hook, New Jersey is a common place for people to visit during the summers. A chapel is located on Sandy Hook, overlooking the Sandy Hook Bay. Behind the chapel is uneven land that leads to the water. There is a small beach and many unorganized dunes and plants. The land has been eroded because of storms and changes in sea levels over the years. A bulkhead had been in place, but it has withered down and is now completely ruined. The land is very uneven, and there is a three feet drop down from the land the chapel is on to the beach. As of right now, no seating or area to fish is on Sandy Hook. People normally just sit on the beach or fish off of the coast line. When fishermen fish off of the beach, they put other people at risk. Children and other people are often swimming in the water, and they can get in the way. Also, people cannot always see the scenery as well from down on the beach. Something is needed to give the fishermen a place to fish and others a place to relax, not on the sand.
Design Solution
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| Figure 1-Top View of the Chapel Site |
The first part of the project being designed was the site. The final solution barely changes the landscape of the site. The land close to the coast will be filled because there is a huge drop down to the water. All existing plants will be pulled out and replaced with new ones. This plan is a good idea because it keeps everything natural looking and calls for minimal construction. It leaves plenty of room for banquets that are frequently held in the chapel and in tents set up on the land next to it.
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| Figure 2-Final drawing of the promenade. |
This solution is shown in figure one. The final promenade design is one hundred sixty feet long by twenty feet wide. Benches are located every twenty five feet, and railings are all around the promenade. Figure two shows the final design of the promenade.
Systems-Engineering
Innovation
This project consists of an innovation. The site already exists; all the project calls for is an improvement. Adding the promenade and redesigning the site will attract more visitors to Sandy Hook. Nothing was invented; all the project does is improve what exists.
Open System
This project incorporates an open system. According to businessdictionary.com, an open system, with respect to systems, is defined as a flexible system that can adapt and change by interacting with its external environment. This project cannot be considered a closed system because it is forced to react to its surroundings. It will be affected by weather, people, animals, and anything else it may come into contact with. It cannot operate without being used by an external force. Therefore, the green pier design project is considered an open system.
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering is the design and maintenance of public works. Civil Engineers build roads, bridges, water and energy systems, ports, railways, and airports, as well as other public buildings. They also build parts of national parks, which relates to the green pier project. Civil Engineers are commonly found working with environmental issues. Three main types of Civil Engineering are present. Some civil engineers brainstorm and develop ideas to create projects. They complete technical drawing and research to ensure the project is viable. Other civil engineers take part in the building and development of the project. They work in contracting, material gathering, and similar jobs. Finally another group of civil engineers monitor the job after it is finished to ensure the project is well kept, safe, and useful.
Putting-Out System
This design does not require much manufacturing. The only type that could work is a putting-out system. In this type of system, objectives of a project are distributed to other people to complete. Once all of the tasks are completed, they are all brought together to complete one system. For the Green Pier project, each group member has a different objective, as well as different tasks to complete. At the end of the project, everyone will be brought together and form one final product. This is what happens in a putting-out system. Although we would not necessarily be manufacturing anything, it relates to the way the group has carried out their tasks thus far.
Construction
Construction is used in the design presented. Construction is necessary to complete the building of the promenade. Filling land also requires construction, which is planned in this design.
Science Concepts
Taxonomy
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| Figure 3-Basic, sample taxonomic key |
According to dictionary.reference.com, taxonomy is the science dealing with the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms. Modern taxonomy was started by Carolus Linnaeus. He published a book, Systema naturae, that outlined how he grouped living organisms and named new ones he discovered. The main contribution he had was the implementation of what we commonly know as genus and species names. Every living organism has a genus and species, which are both in Latin. Linnaeus began this practice in his book, which made classifications much simpler. Charts similar to the one shown in figure 3 are used today to classify organisms.
Part of the civil engineering aspect of the Green Pier project was to reorganize the plants of the chapel site. This part of science was used when the lead civil engineer chose new plants. They had to use plants native to Sandy Hook and ensure they were not invasive. The engineer was given a list of acceptable plants to use, and she chose from there. She researched common trees and shrubs used in these situations, and then implemented them in her plans.
Oceanography
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| Figure 4-Eroded beach after Hurrican Irene |
Modern versions of oceanography began about 130 years ago. People began studying the ocean and the way it works. The first expedition to study the ocean was the Challenger Expedition, which sailed from 1872 until 1876. Modern oceanography really began with the United States Navy during World War II when they wanted to learn more about the ocean to gain fighting advantages.
Oceanography is used in the Green Pier project because the site is along the coast. In order to fill the land close to the coast, the civil engineer had to remember all of her knowledge of the ocean. She was told that the land closest to the water would have to be slightly elevated to account for runoff so it wouldn't drain into the water. She also had to account for erosion that is bound to occur over the years, similar to that shown in figure four.
Technology
Surveying
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| Figure 6-A surveyor at work |
Surveyors measure angles between property corner markers and physical features on a piece of land. Surveyors are often involved in the work before construction, but they are often called back when building is complete to ensure that the measurements are the same as they were in original plans. Surveyors aid engineers by creating maps of terrain and elevation which becomes crucial in constructing things close to the coast such as bridges or docks or even homes. A surveyor in action is depicted in figure 5.
When given the site, the civil engineer saw how badly organized the area was. A steep, three-foot drop was evident because of previous erosion to the land. The civil engineer had to survey the land to calculate how much fill would be needed to make all of the land even. Once the surveying was finished, she could continue with her work.
Trex Deck
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| Figure 6-Trex Decking |
The title of this project is Green Pier. The "green" in the title implies that, when completed, the entire project must be environmentally friendly. When given this task, group members researched all types of green engineering and environmentally friendly ways of going about their project. Part of the civil engineers project was to build a promenade on the coast. This promenade had to be constructed of completely environmentally friendly materials. When researching, group members found a product called Trex Decking. This company takes pride in being eco-friendly and only using recycled materials to make their products. Not only do they sell wood, but they also make railings and fasteners which were necessary to build the promenade. This company made things much easier by being completely environmentally friendly. A sample of a deck built with Trex decking is shown in figure 6. They are moving forward with products and providing an example of how companies need to be run in the future. They are certainly an example of technology.
Mathematical Computations
Volume of Rectangle
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| Figure 7-Topography Map of the coast |
The only math used in the civil engineering aspect of the project was volume of a rectangle. When the civil engineer went surveying, she found the heights of land along the coast behind the chapel. After doing that, she drew an elevation map of the coast, as shown in figure 7.
From this map, she calculated the volume of each rectangular section. A lot of the parts were estimated because extra land would be necessary, anyway.
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| Figure 8-Formula for Volume of a rectangle |
The numbers in the sections are volumes calculated for that particular section. She took the length and width of each section and multiplied that product by the land necessary to fill that area to seven feet. For example, for the top most line of volumes, the civil engineer took the length and height and multiplied them all by 6.5 because 6.5 feet of fill would be necessary to elevate the land to seven feet. The land in the schedule produced is slightly increased because extra land will be needed to make the land close to the coast slightly higher than the rest of the land. Volume of a rectangle is found by multiplying the length, the width, and the height, as shown in figure 8.
Conclusion
The design used in the green pier project is an innovation. Group members are improving an existing site, not creating a new idea. Civil engineering is used in this project. This type of engineering is the design and maintenance of public works. Civil engineers create sites like the one designed to better the environment. Putting-out system type manufacturing is used in this type of construction. Different groups of people construct different parts of the site and then bring them all together to form one final site.
The final design solution chosen by the lead civil engineer called for surveying existing land and filling the land where necessary. All plants are replaced by new ones, and everything else is left alone to add to the natural atmosphere of the site. The chosen promenade is 160 feet long by twenty feet wide. It has two entrances to connect to two fishing piers. Benches are placed every one hundred feet to provide seating for visitors. Railings will be constructed along the water side of the promenade to prevent anyone from falling off.
Trex decking and surveying are two technological aspects of this project. Trex decking shows evidence of advancement in development today. It uses all recycled materials in everything they manufacture. Surveying is technology used by civil engineers to measure levels and elevations of land of a selected site. Topography and oceanography are two scientific concepts utilized in this project. Topography was used when deciding on the types of plants to be used in the new site, and oceanography was utilized to explain common patterns of the coast. Volume calculations were used in the chosen design when calculating the amount of land fill necessary to even out the existing coastline.
The Green Pier project uses science, technology, engineering, math, and manufacturing in its development and construction. Everything in these categories helps to make this final design solution a system. All of these aspects of the project come together to make it the final solution.
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