openengineer/examples/bridge-survey.md

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Example: Bridge Engineering

Status: Draft Phase: The Bedrock Phase

What This Example Demonstrates

Engineering context preservation (OE-0003), the context record structure, and verification.

The Observation

A bridge designed without a preserved context record — one that records only the final design but not the reasoning, alternatives, constraints, and verification — creates risk for future engineers who must maintain, modify, or load-rate the bridge.

Context Record Applied

A well-preserved bridge engineering context record would contain:

Field Example Content
Decision Use a truss design with a 40m span
Observation Site survey showed 40m crossing required; bedrock at 12m depth
Alternatives Cable-stayed (rejected: higher maintenance cost), arch (rejected: insufficient abutment capacity)
Constraints Maximum load 40 tonnes; environmental: tidal zone; economic: prefabrication required
Reasoning Truss allows prefabrication, meets load requirements, and can be erected in tidal window
Verification Load testing to 1.5x design load; finite element analysis corroborated by physical test
Lineage Builds on standard truss design from [prior project reference]
Assumptions Steel grade S355 available; corrosion protection maintains for 50-year design life

Self-Fading Assessment

This example transports the reader from the abstract context record structure (OE-0003) to a concrete instance. Once the reader understands how each field maps to a real engineering decision, the example has served its purpose.