page_title: West Washington Street Bridge (Muncie, Indiana)
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: West Washington Street Bridge (Muncie, Indiana) / Design
caption_attribution_description: English: Thacher's Calculating Instrument, patented in 1881, can be thought of as a series of conventional slide rules mounted around the periphery of a cylinder. There are 20 pairs of scales forming the outer framework of the cylinder. Within this framework there is a solid cylinder that can be both rotated and moved longitudinally within the framework of scales. The open framework itself can also be rotated as a unit. Thacher's Calculating Instrument was mounted on a mahogany base and produced by the Keuffel and Esser Company of New York.
context_page_description: The West Washington Street Bridge is a historic concrete arch bridge in Muncie, Indiana, United States. It spans the White River, connecting Washington Street and Meeks Avenue. It was designed by Charles Armintrout, who was the Delaware County Engineer at the time. The bridge has four elliptical arch spans. The steel reinforcements of the arch rings extend deep into the bridge's piers and abutments, allowing the piers to be substantially thinner. This design was inspired by the works of Edwin Thacher. Although this bridge is made of concrete, a series of recessed panels, which have the aggregate exposed, provides texture and contrast.
  Three plaques are embedded into the railing of the bridge. Two of the plaques include the names of the Delaware County Commissioners, the County Auditor, the original construction company, the restoration contractor, and the Delaware County Council. The third plaque includes a commendation regarding the bridge's restoration in 1996.
context_section_description: The design of the West Washington Street Bridge was influenced by the work of Edwin Thacher. Thacher was an engineer who built military bridges during the Civil War. To solve many of the complex mathematical calculations required in designing bridges, Thacher invented and patented a cylindrical slide rule. One of his lasting legacies is his design of the reinforcing system for concrete bridges that was used in the West Washington Street Bridge.
caption: Edwin Thacher's slide rule developed to assist with the calculations required for bridge design.
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