15 YEARS AGO…
Somewhere in the
wild …
Friend1: Bai, nay gahi na laway oh, sure jud ko, iring iring ni, unta marka
puntok…
Me: Saba diha!
Tan.awa gali iyang porma sa iyang supot
oh, putik layo ranas airing iring bai.. ang iring iring na damang, ang pag
construct sa iyang supot eng.ani ang porma oh….
Analogy of Spider Web For
When was the last time you ever
stopped to really look at a spider web in a very inquisitive way?
Well, in my case, it was probably
about 15 years ago… back then, hunting and playing with spiders in the province
is one of the best recreational activity of most young boys of my generation
and one of my personal favorite childhood memories too. During those days of my
life, I also reached to the point wherein I wondered and somehow asked myself
and my playmates of how a small creature like the spiders can weaved those
frigging webs so perfect; why are they creating it circular, not triangular,
square, trapezoidal or what? But naturally for a 7 year old child, I didn’t care
much of it.
However, it all changed when I
reached college, more specifically when I started studying major subjects in
the field of Civil Engineering. It is like I entered a never-ending tunnel
where at the same time I was bombarded with a lot of concepts, designs,
theories of structures and even failure. All I can do and will always do is to
digest everything so fondly until I reached the end of it. Well, if there’s
really an “end” of it because like what they always said, “Learning is a never
ending process!”
Anyways, while I was trudging that
tunnel the other week, something cool happened and this is how it was...During
our CE50 Reinforced Concrete Design class, we were grouped into 5 and given a
tasked to draw a design/concept that will reflect the 6 most essential Principles
that must be considered in designing and constructing a structure in order to
eradicate the failure of it as much as possible.
In our group, we got a long list of possible concepts but
the spider web stands out from the rest and by then, I can’t help myself but
reminisced the things happened 15 years ago. Indeed, it was a great flashback
to my childhood! After deciding, Mr. Batino drew our design while the rest of
the members discussed thoroughly the most appropriate analogy that can be extracted
from it…
 |
| Our own Drawing of Spider and the Spider Web During our class |
First is LOGIC. In the principle of
structure the simplest concept is that big members carry big loads, and small
members carry small loads and just like in the spider world, bigger spiders
create thicker and stronger web for bigger and heavier loads (the insects that
they were trying to capture). On the other hand, smaller spiders create softer
and weaker web for smaller and lighter insects. Logically, bigger and heavier
insects can easily penetrate and destroy the smaller and softer webs and just
like in the structure if a smaller member carries a load higher than its
capacity, eventually it will fail.
Second is INTEGRITY. Structural
integrity has two faces – the issues of honesty and wholeness. In the
structural design, loads are truly resisted should be honestly expressed
visually and there is a violation of that principle if a bite is taken out of
the wholeness of a structural system. This is also applicable in the spider web
in a way that spiders created their webs with full of honesty, wholeness and
sense of ownership. If they create their webs without those criteria, then they
were just fooling themselves and they will not be able to hunt and capture
their prey. It will be an epic fail for them and same goes to the engineers who
will neglect those criteria.
Third is ECONOMY. Structures
shouldn’t be overpriced and just like spider webs it shouldn’t also be oversized
beyond the true load requirements. In the building, heaviest loads should be
places as near as the bottom of the building as possible, whereas, spider webs
are designed such that the center of it is where the most web patterns are
concentrated to cater the heaviest possible load.
Fourth is CONTINUITY. Structures are
more like spider webs, there must be clean, smooth, direct, uninterrupted paths
for forces provided for load propagation. However, in the building, it must be
all the way into the bearing soil and geology and in the spider web; it must be
through all the way to the center of the web.
Fifth is REDUNDANCY. Structures are
spider webs, it must provide multiple supports. If one fails, the other members
may also carry the load. And lastly, PRIORITY, basically, the sequence of
structural failure must be controlled. If one part of the spider web fails, it
will not automatically destroy everything in an instant and gives more escape
time. Definitely, buildings should be like that as well.
After that activity, I realized that
a spider web is no longer a mere web but an intricately designed work of art
and an engineering marvel and the spiders are no longer just mere spiders but
for me, they’re engineers in their own awesome way. I was not able to recognize
that earlier, it seems that those spiders of my childhood are more like the
past engineers but just like the past engineers, we must not only focused
ourselves to the spider web, but we must learn and seek for more from what they
have discovered in the past, from what they have taught us! We must be able to surpass
and build something greater than what they have built!
Lastly, I think it’s nice to think
that you too will have a sort of spider web in life. It might not be a spider web of course but
something that you think is special and you can extract a very artistic and
inspiring analogy out from it. By that, I believe it will blow your mind and
surely changed your initial perception of that thing. Sounds over rated, right?
But yes, that’s how I see it, #thexuixuiWay and I know that’s how you are going
to see it too…
P.S
I
wrote this in a way that it’s not very technical in the field of Civil
Engineering so that even non-civil engineering people might be able to
understand it somehow! I just really hope so… :’)
Year 2030 (After 15 years) …
Somewhere in the
wilder place …
Friend: Hey, Xui! Look at that friggin’ spider web over there... jeez,
it’s so artistic!
Me: Indeed!
*chuckles while reminiscing CE50 Class in my head
Travel
Blog: themarkwillalmeda.blogspot.com
Instagram:
@thexuixuiWay
FACEBOOK:
Mark Lowill Almeda
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