Cantilever-spar cable-stayed bridge

another of Santiago Calatrava master pieces. i love the way the cables are strung and the curved deck. it is different from a normal Side-spar cable-stayed bridge because the tower is angled away from the bridge this exerts overturning force upon its foundation. i like this because it makes it look like the tower is pulling the bridge up and so makes the forces at play more obvious

Side-spar cable-stayed bridge

one of the variations of a cable stay bridge is a Side-spar cable-stayed bridge. in this bridge the tower is offset to the side making it possible to make a bridge that curves. being a fan of asymmetry i like this.

Suspension bridge

what i like about suspension bridges is the parabolic curve that the main cables make. what i dont like is also the cables, i dont like how the force is distributed. the weight is still entirely supported by the towers, but there have to be huge anchorages at the ends of the main cables to stop them from being pulled out of the ground. it lacks the simplicity of a cable stay bridge.

Cable-stayed bridges

I love the way these brides look and the way they use force. the bridge deck is held up by cables that are connected to the towers. normally each deck section has its own cable. because the cables are at an angle they pull the deck sections towards the tower and pushing them together. what this means is that both the compressive and tensile loads are directed into the tower and the whole weight is supported by the tower. I see this as a more elegant solution than a suspension bridge

Scarred Earth

I love how this building looks...the curves are amazing and i love how it seems to be floating off the ground. I really hope it ends up as green as the concept rendering. i think its really sad how we can create something so beautiful on the earth, but then also we scar it and destroy its natural beauty

Steel cable Chain

In my new design I decided to keep the oval end bits but this time I would loop it around and make my links that way. This should make it have more volume it will also crate negative space and make it look lite and airy. I am most happy with the bottom design because it will create a more three dimensional shape.

Razor wire

I was not happy with my earlier chain designs I felt they were to boring. I saw some razor wire and liked the way it made up volume out of these very thin pieces of wire. I then thought I should do something similar to make links for my chain.

Steel cable Chain

I started looking at what jewelery could make use of the tensile strength steel cable can provide. I decided that a chain would be a good place to start these are the 1st designs that came to mid it is basically a rectangular link where two of the sides are made up of steel cable. I decided that the silver end pieces should be oval to make it more interesting to look at and to tie it in with the parabolic shape of my other pieces.

Past Steel Cable attemts

I have tried to use steel cable in the past but i have never been happy with the results. I feel i need to push the material more and take more advantage of it tensile strength

Steel cable

I have always loved the way steel cable is used in architecture. I like how it creates negative space and how it makes things look lite. I am also interested in the fact that it has a very high tensile strength because of the way it is constructed. I want to see how I can apply this to jewellery I want to use the cable in the same way it is used in architecture. I want to take advantage of its tensile strength to make something lite and delicate looking, but it must actually be very strong.

Catenary arch

The Tāq-i Kisrā is a Persian monument built Iraq It was damaged in floods in 1888 and was busy being restored before the 1st gulf work broke out it differs from later western arches in that it is a parabolic arch which is much stronger.

Catenary arch

I find arches interesting because they are strong but they look very delicate because they create negative space. The 1st arch i found interesting was the Lancet arch. When I started to analyze why I liked arches I discovered it was because they use the least material to give the most strength. This made me look for the strongest type of arch that's when I found the Catenary arch. This arches shape comes from the shape a chain makes when you hold it at the ends and let it hang. If you take this basic shape and turn it upside down it makes a very strong arch shape. This shape is called a parabola and is the basis for the curves I put on my jewellery.

Beginning of curves

My attraction to curves started with the Lancet arch. This arch is widely used in Gothic architecture because it allows you to build tall buildings. Gothic architecture was all about building tall to get closer to god. I like the way the arch is used to frame these windows and also provides the strength needed to hold the structure up. I love the way arches serve a function by holding up the building but also are visually pleasing to look at.