Bridging Europe |
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Bridge Disasters | Students Work | Bridge Game | Lessons | Email Your Bridge | |
Bridge Disasters
When things go wrong we learn most about forces.
Tacoma Narrows (video takes a few seconds, 700kB) |
This is a classic which illustrates the dangers of resonance! | What caused the violent undulations? | Did the bridge collapse? | |
Tasman Bridge | The Tasman Bridge was opened in August 1964. It was a four-lane,
high level concrete bridge.
On 5 January 1975 The ship Lake Illawarra collided with the Tasman Bridge. |
Two piers collapsed and 127 metres of road. Four cars fell into the river, two others teetered on the brink. Twelve people died. | Was it compression or tension forces which made
road collapse?
Or was it both? |
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BRIDGE STRESS IN PUBLIC |
The Millenium Bridge in London was closed on its opening day as it swayed alarmingly. |
On its 50th anniversary in 1987, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco flattened dramatically beneath throngs of admirers. | What's up with these wobbly bridges? Was gravity or resonance the cause? |