BUILDING BIG Dome Basics
Dome Basics
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Bridges | Domes | Skyscrapers | Dams| Tunnels

Forces that act on a Ringed Dome.

Ringed Dome: Forces
When a dome is too heavy, the sides push outward, and cracks appear throughout the bottom portion of the structure. Engineers often wrap iron rings, called tension rings, around domes. Like hoops on a barrel, the tension rings prevent the dome walls from thrusting outward.


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BUILDING BIG is a coproduction of the WGBH Science Unit and Production Group, Inc., and is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston.

Major funding is provided by the National Science Foundation. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Corporation for Public Broadcastin, and public television viewers.

National corporate sponsorship is provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers and by Siemens.

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