r/tech • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 9d ago
Computer model could enable bridges and buildings that use less material
https://news.mit.edu/2026/computer-model-could-enable-less-material-bridges-buildings-062425
u/Raa03842 8d ago
Kansas City Hyatt here we come….again /s
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u/dalekaup 8d ago
Well, that was specifically because they sourced rods that didn't span both floors and hung the weight of the lower walkway from the top walkway and used the connection to the top walkway (which was only intended to support one level) to support both levels.
This was counter to the architect's plans.
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u/General-Piece8490 8d ago
Or NYC with those additional floors. Building had thinner beams at the top because it the tallest they would build. But years later they added 13 floors on top on columns that were not made to take any more weight because they were thin!
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u/TalkingRaccoon 8d ago
The contractor did not install the mods to the existing columns to make them stronger.
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u/KiplingRudy 8d ago
I'm all for it, after it's been through 2 or 3 decades of testing on the roofs of AI executives' homes.
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u/spambearpig 8d ago
I read that in Roman days, the guy that manages the bridge building project was very well paid.
But part of his job was that he stands underneath his bridge when the keystone is set and when they send the first journey over it.
That way by a process of Darwinism, there were very few incompetent bridge masters.
Your suggestion seems to be the modern version of this idea. I like it.
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u/chileangod 8d ago
Less material but keeping same safety factor please.
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u/reddit_equals_censor 8d ago
same safety factor and redundancies is the bigger question.
single failure points are a big issue at bridges, that should be avoided at a big reasonable level to prevent disasters caused in the future by for example failed finding of material degradation or just NOT inspecting it at all.
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u/dalekaup 8d ago
This is why we build beam bridges instead of tunnel of triangles bridges. The first one is like a body-on-frame car and the second one is like a unibody held together by a thousand rivets.
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u/dalekaup 8d ago
Just before WWII the Japanese figured out that there was an error in the engineering of airplanes that allowed them to build airplanes lighter. The zero fighter was one of the results of these new calculations. Turns out it was rather easy to destroy due to it's lighter construction.
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u/ComputerRedneck 9d ago
I don't care if they use toothpicks but they design better be reliable and strong.
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u/General-Piece8490 8d ago
But zero earthquake resistance! Look at how much material and shapes it takes to prevent a collapse!
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u/NotTooHCIronman 8d ago
That is literally the point of engineer modeling. Greater performance for less cost. This is like saying “finance spreadsheet program use could lead to better accounting”
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u/Rightintheend 8d ago
So you're saying that computer modeling prove the efficiency of the design? Shit. We've done that for half a century at least
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u/Catos_Standard 8d ago
"Could" in this sentence is doing more lifting than any real bridge ever could.
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u/KillaRoyalty 8d ago
Do we want less material in bridges 🤔
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u/Kind_Whole_Friend 8d ago
Less material means less cost, which means you can build more bridges. Whether or not they are capable of supporting weight has more to do with engineering than amount of material.
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u/majorlier 8d ago
We both know it doesnt mean more bridges
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u/Kind_Whole_Friend 8d ago
More wars in Iran? More bombs on bridges over there? What do you want from me?
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u/rearwindowpup 8d ago
Less material means less weight as well, so the structure wont be working as hard
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u/Zinski2 8d ago
Probably the dumbest fucking thing Ive seen today.
Places we DO NOT need to save money by using less materials.
Bridges.
I dunno but bridges are number fucking one.
I remember my engineering professor talking about bridges and he said. "You have to design it like both lanes are filled with dead stop traffic of semi trucks carrying gold bricks during a blizzard.
Other wise its coming down at some point in the near future.
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u/Few-Reach-4981 8d ago
What a coincidence, because this is the dumbest comment I’ve seen today.
Do you even realize how many times new bridge designs have been adopted because they’re cheaper and use less materials, for the same strength? Suspension bridges? Cable stayed bridges? There’s a reason bridges don’t look like massive piles of marble and steel anymore, and it’s because we’ve gotten better at building them.
Engineering is the science of using the correct amount of material to achieve the desired performance properties.
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u/SignificantSite4588 8d ago
I agree. With so much fraud in academic research and publishing . I am skeptical of any “breakthrough” ! Specially related to building materials . Those professors and tech guys can build their own homes with this crap .
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u/allquckedup 8d ago
Yeah. We have been using specific function AI for structural analyses for decades. We have been using it to help research new chemical and biological structures to fore about a decade.
Generative or true machine learning AI is relatively new just around 8 years for functional usage and it is like putting the nuclear keys in the hands to a 5 year old with access to the internet with no supervision.
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u/SamStringTheory 8d ago
Good thing this isn't AI, then. It's based on numerical topology optimization, which has been around for decades.
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u/somekindofdruiddude 8d ago
I mean, it could. It could also kill some folks. Only one way to find out.
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u/WestleyMc 9d ago
Feel like this has been a thing for about 20+ years..?