Article ID: CBB855460391

A Narrow Window of Opportunity: The Rise and Fall of the Fixed Steel Dam (1989)

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Between 1890 and 1910 a few dam designers seriously considered steel as an alternative to such traditional dam-building materials as masonry, earth, rock, and concrete. Three fixed steel dams were constructed; two still survive. Using evidence from the two surviving structures, especially the steel dam at Redridge, Michigan, as well as written records, this article challenges previous explanations for the demise of the steel dam and suggests that the neglect of steel construction is better explained by perception and personal factors than by objective, scientific factors.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB855460391/

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Authors & Contributors
David B. Landon
Timothy A. Tumberg
Paul White
Christopher W. Merritt
Dan Trepal
Gray Fitzsimons
Concepts
Industrial archaeology
Dams
Hydroelectric power
Design
Civil engineering
Electricity and Electrical Power
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
21st century
18th century
17th century
Places
United States
Michigan (U.S.)
Canada
Carp River
Lachine Canal
Concord, New Hampshire
Institutions
West Point Foundry
Quincy Mining Company
Raleigh and Gaston Railroad
U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record
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