To test the safety of a bridge, engineers rely on some pretty low-tech methods. One common way of doing it is to drag a chain across the bridge and listen in for the hollow-sounding spots. But, weirdly, an even-lower-tech method might speed things along: Have the rain do the work for you.
In the same way that structural deficiencies can be detected with something solid, two engineers from Brigham Young University–Brian Mazzeo and Spencer Guthrie–are listening in for the tell-tale acoustics by splashing bridges with water.
via Popular Science
October 24, 2012
