Minnesota Chapter of ASM – January 2026 Meeting

Building The Brooklyn Bridge:

“A bridge is a poem stretched across a river, a symphony of stone and steel”.
(Ref. David Barnard Steinman – Author – The Builders of the Bridge, 1950).

Thursday, January 15th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Davannis Pizza, Plymouth, MN
Presentation by Lloyd Meissner, P.E., ESi
Spouses & Significant Others Welcome!

Abstract

The Brooklyn bridge was completed on May 24,1883 after 14 years in construction. It’s designer, John Roebling was a civil engineer who emigrated from Germany in 1831. He designed many bridges prior to this, his last and longest span. He was also the first to prove that a suspension bridge could support a steam locomotive and railroad cars. This bridge cost him his life and his son Washington, also a civil engineer, took over the project. Washington was also physically incapacitated during construction due to the then unknown “Caissons Disease”, now called the bends. This structure was also the first to use the brand-new engineering material – steel – for the suspension cables. The three people most responsible for the completion of this project are John, Washington and Emily Roebling.

Presentation

Happy hour starts at 5:00PM, with dinner at 5:30-6:15. Presentation to start at 6:15.

About the Speaker

Mr. Meissner is a registered professional metallurgical engineer with over 40 years of experience in the field of metallurgical engineering and materials science, with a focus on failure analysis. He spent 28 years at Honeywell International in Minneapolis in both aerospace and defense industry projects. He then transitioned into forensic engineering, initially with Crane Engineering and most recently with Engineering Systems, Inc. (ESi). He has consulted on a wide variety of industrial materials and processing problems, and his expertise includes analysis of HVAC systems, corrosion of potable water and sprinkler piping, water losses, home appliance failures, medical device evaluation and other consulting relating to insurance subrogation and litigation. He is also related to the builders of the Brooklyn Bridge. Come to learn more about this marvel of engineering.