Masonry Magazine June 1972 Page. 33
Unusual Brick Bridge Delights Golfers in North Carolina
Just off the first tee at the Etowah Valley Golf Club, located in North Carolina on Highway 64 between Hendersonville and Brevard, the golfers ride their carts over a brick arch which spans 36 feet over a creek. The 3-foot rise doesn't even slow them down.
For awhile there was a lot of gawking-in disbelief-at the slender parabolic arch only one brick thick. The arch is 10' wide, 3%" thick with a chord length of 37'4" and a 3' rise at midspan. The dead load weight is 16,000 pounds.
The brick are regular size units-tunnel kiln hard burned-manufactured by Moland-Drysdale Corp. at Hendersonville. But the mortar is something new to this area. In addition to Portland cement and sand is a liquid liquid polymer latex (Sarabond) manufactured by Dow Chemical Company.
Instead of lime, marble dust was added to provide plasticity. Each joint (1/2") contains two No. 2 rebars to provide for bending stresses induced by a moving live load of 6,400 pounds, sufficient to accommodate the heaviest maintenance equipment. The abutments are reinforced concrete, 2' x 2' x 12' long, and are provided with recessed bearing seats set at an angle matching that of the end tangents of the arch.
After completion of the brickwork the arch was cured for about 30 days. During this time there was considerable speculation-and betting on the successful placement of such a large, thin structure. Asheville Steel Company, using a 65-ton hydraulic crane and two riggers, lifted the arch, rotated it 90 degrees, and set it on the abutments in a very smooth, coordinated operation. (One of the masons lost five dollars on his bet.)
The owner was impressed and plans to build four more bridges in similar fashion. The design is in accord with the stress limitations outlined by Dow Chemical as well as procedures set forth in the SCPI code, all of which is sustained by documented research. The surprisingly low live load deflections are attributed to the high compressive masonry strength over 6000 psi and to the high tensile strength of the No. 2 reinforcement bars as well as the high bond and shear values contributed by the Sarabond mortar additive.
The brick arch that will be a 36 ft. bridge (top) was initially laid up in wall fashion on the ground for placement on the abutment (lower portion of picture). With the aid of a 65-ton hydraulic crane and two riggers (center), the arch was lifted, rotated and positioned on the slightly angled abutment. A full-size car rides over the completed bridge, indicating the high bond and shear values of Sarabond mortar additive.
New Hyatt Regency Chicago Will Utilize Extensive Brick Design
An extensive use of brick masonry will be featured in the design of the new Hyatt Regency hotel going up along Chicago's riverfront.
The $40 million, 36-story structure will be the first major hotel to be built in downtown Chicago in more than 20 years. It will rise in a prestige location east of Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and Randolph Street. The area is presently under development as a commercial/residential/cultural complex and will be highlighted by the 80-story Standard Oil Building.
The 1,000-room Hyatt Regency, designed by A. Epstein & Sons, Inc., engineers and architects, will have an exterior brick wall prefabricated in large panels and hoisted into place. It will feature an innovative three-level lobby with glass walls and roof extending-like a conservatory-beyond the brick tower, bringing into the building the activity of its surroundings.
Elevated 10 feet above the main lobby floor on four bronze-color brick columns will be a cocktail lounge enclosed with low brick walls and topped with bronze glass. A conservatory lounge with soft chairs and sofas will also be enclosed by a low, glass-topped brick wall. Completion is scheduled for mid-1974.
"You cannot bring prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you carn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."-Abraham Lincoln.