Friday, August 03, 2007

From Raffaele de Ritis #1


006 nuovo chapiteau, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

The Spanish circus "Americano" (nothing to do with the italian Togni
family, but the name) recently purchased a big top that is probably the
largest traveling today. I think is the first of such size to be conceved
without any kind of poles inside. The Spanish "Americano" is easily the only
European three-ring circus remaining today in the continent. The circus
owners are the Faggioni family

Posted by Buckles at 8/03/2007 06:13:00 AM

10 comments:

Buckles said...

Looking at that super structure, my first thought was of the bridge in Minneapolis.

03 August, 2007 06:16
Anonymous said...

It's amazing that those arches could support the amount of tension that would keep that heavy vinyl that tight, nevermind the weight of the lights and rigging. Thats a lot of strain in the bolts holding the sections of frame together. Looks good inside though

03 August, 2007 08:55
Anonymous said...

Wonder why they don't have an air blower to hold it up. Elgin, Ill. had a vinyl structure of coleseum size that was held up that way 365 days of the ye3ar. I worked in it. Anyone else out there remember it. Maybe its still up.

03 August, 2007 09:34
Anonymous said...

They say it's the biggist tent
How big is it ?

03 August, 2007 10:44
Harry Kingston said...

This is a very interesting design. I am sure a good structual engineer checked this design out from every angle.
I wish I could see a shot of how the arches are guyed down on the ends. I see only two guy lines about 1/3 of the way up the arches.
Every good circus has a main guy line running right down the middle and a great dead man on either end.
That is alot of weight pulling down from the top.
I think it looks like electric motors on all the main cables.
I sure would like to run this design by Johnny Pugh and see what he has to say about it.
If one cable were to break or give way how this would effect all the rest of the tent???
But the arch bridges have been around for along time.
Time will tell with design.
Harry

03 August, 2007 15:22
Anonymous said...

If they painted them yellow, could they get McDonald's to sponsor? Kidding aside, a very innovative design. Is it windy in Spain?

03 August, 2007 16:55
Anonymous said...

Johnny,
Cedar Falls, IA had a college colliseum with an air blower to keep it up and finally had to put a real structer on top because of problems with the air pressure in the joint and the fact that they had to close an antiques show due to too much snow on top.

03 August, 2007 19:33
Anonymous said...

Hey Harry, take another look at the picture I see some guy wires way up. they look like white lines in the photo.

03 August, 2007 19:40
Harry Kingston said...

Hi Bob,
I see what you are talking about the guy lines that look white pulling straight down and to me they look like they are connected to a motor hoist to pull up or down.
What I am talking about is a maine guy line that should be at the very top arch connected to all the arches and guyed to the ground with a dead man that would not pull out on both ends. I do not see one there but I see one on either side about 1/3 of the arches on both sides connected to a dead man.
Harry

03 August, 2007 22:00
Bob Cline said...

Harry,
We always referred to the main cable you are talking about as the jigger cable.
Bob

04 August, 2007 00:36

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