Three Span Bridge Multi-Cache
Hidden : 7/30/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

The Three Span Composite Timber and Concrete Bridge


This is a Bridge you may cross everyday
(This Bridge is located on the Pacific Highway)
The Bridge is about 9km South of Kempsey & about 32.5 km North of Denis Bridge.
There is a U-turn bay Just South & North of this bridge.



Information About This Bridge
This bridge is probably the first major timber and concrete composite structure built in Australia.
Timber and concrete are complimentary building material.
Both are relatively cheap and easy to work.
When they are formed into composite elements, timber provides the tensile strength for the concrete that works in compression.
Placing a concrete deck on a conventional timber bridge has significant benefits.
The concrete provides a durable running surface and, if the concrete is kept intact, protects the timber from moisture.
This limits decay and greatly reduces maintenance.
It does not make the bridge any stronger, however, as the concrete works independently from the timber and relies on the timber beams and deck for support.
To mobilise the strength of both materials, they need to be bound together with some type of shear connectors to form a composite element.
In the three span bridge at Kempsey NSW, steel plates act as the shear connectors between the natural round timber beams and the concrete deck that spans between them.
The plates are concentrated towards the ends of each span where shear forces are highest.
The inclusion of the plates has significantly increased the stiffness and service life of the bridge over similar timber bridges.
Though experimental, the bridge has performed so well that it has been retained in service under the continual heavy loads experienced on the Pacific Highway.
Its success has inspired a new generation of modular composite timber and concrete bridges now being constructed throughout NSW and Tasmania.
Similar technology has been developed for use in buildings, where composite timber and concrete construction also offers considerable benefits in workability and performance.


At GZ you will find the following plaque with the history of this bridge.
In order to find the final location you will need to read the plaque & get the following information.
In what year was this bridge built? = A, B, C, D
How many years was this bridge in service? = E, F
In what year was the replacement bridge opened? = G, H, I, J
The name that was given to this style of bridge construction was called the Doolan ______ count up the number of letters in the second word? = K
Now to calculate L, M, N, O
I + E + G = L
D - A = M
J - G - F - A = N
E – F = O
The final location is: (Note: please Stay off the Highway).
S31 HJ.MCN
E152 KB.OLA

Congratulations & determination on this one Browngang for the FTF

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gel ybbxvat sebz nabgure natyr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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