Week 5 Observations

On Tuesday, February 17th, we took a tour of several of the sporting facilities around the university, beginning with Huff Hall.  As mentioned previously in the course, we were able to see the aftermath of the questionable addition, namely the two staircases not five feet from each other that lead to the same place.  That wasn't the focus of the tour of this building, however, as we headed to the gymnasium, home of Illini volleyball.

It was in the gym that we were introduced to trusses and their uses in distributing loads across a large lattice of metal bars and beams, something that I found quite interesting and relevant to my mechanical engineering coursework.  We were shown how the manner in which the various beams and columns were organized allowed the weight of the roof to be spread out.  This technology allows us to cover large surfaces with minimal material, reducing costs and giving us a cool ceiling to look at in the process.  This visit also made me want to go see a volleyball game some time because I'm told we are quite good at hittin' the old volley ball around.

From Huff we attempted to enter the Armory through a subterranean tunnel, but unfortunately we were met with a locked door.  It seems as though all subterranean tunnels on campus have gone on super ultra lockdown as of late.  Because of this, we had to enter the armory the old fashioned way, and we got to take a look at the impressive structures inside.  The portion that we visited was the indoor track, with its colossal metal arches that were truly a marvel of engineering.  Here we learned that while most arches have keystones wedged at the highest point to bring each side together, these metal arches were held together by a single pin where the keystone would be.  This simple pin keeps each side of the arch from falling outward, and this feature was highlighted by a skylight that runs the length of the indoor track, allowing natural light to filter in from outside.

Our final stop on the day's tour was the football practice facility, which provides half of a regulation football field for the various athletic programs during the offseason or inclement weather.  This facility was more comparable in size to Huff hall than the Armory and featured a third kind of support structure.  We learned that only one side of the large truss system was truly secured, and this was done with a pin.  On the far side of the facility, the truss rested on a surface, held in place by its own weight and frictional forces.  It was interesting to learn that all concrete and solid features of the walls were purely aesthetic and provided no structural support, serving as a backstop and shelter from the outdoors for the university's athletes.

Though we did not personally visit it, we briefly discussed the structures supporting the State Farm Center, formerly Assembly Hall.  Due to the nature of the dome, many of the forces are projected horizontally as opposed to vertically.  Because of this, a large cable is wrapped around the outside of the stadium.  Held taut, it prevents the dome from falling outwards, and serves as a substitute for the pillar systems found in both Huff hall and the Armory.  We also learned that the ceiling of the facility is only about a half of a foot thick, making the structure that much more impressive.