Running Head: THE TACOMA NARROW BRIDGE

TACOMA NARROW’S BRIDGE

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The aerodynamics jolt was the primary cause of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge's failure. In a

typical structural engineering, trusses are used to allow wind to flow across the bridge. The

Tacoma Narrows Bridge, on the other hand, was required to pass across each bridge, resulting in

flow isolation [ CITATION Har21 \l 1033 ]

The bridge has the historical name to the twin suspension bridge and was originally build in the

year 1940. However, it is reported that the bridge collapsed due to the cause of aeroelastic

flutter.

The west side of the bridge had a continuous steel girder of about 450ft and the east side has long

reinforcement concrete frame of 210 feet. Some two cables of providing anchorage of 26ft along

the roadways also a 5ft support. The sidewalks have an 8ft support with deep stiffening girders.

Among the other structural support systems for the suspension cable anchorage to which the

cables were connected and made to about 20000 cubic yards of concrete and 6lakh pounds of the

structural steel for support and a reinforcing steel of 2.7 lakh. Due to its extremely long length it

was considered to be a narrow bridge [ CITATION Har21 \l 1033 ]

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Despite all these structural engineering platform and support systems the Tacoma bridge still

collapsed in the long run. Shortly after the building and construction of the Tacoma bridge, it

was found that the there was a dangerous buckle along its length in windy conditions. The

engineers were even more worried when the bridge was undulating noticeably in the presence of

strong winds. For this reason, there was need for the adjustment of the support systems against

strong winds [ CITATION Har21 \l 1033 ].

The Tacoma bridge on its day of collapse is considered to have received a wind of 19m/s

equivalents to 70kmph. The center stay was having some vibrations at a frequency of 36com in

the nine different segments. It is considered that the vibrational amplitude had built and the

motion and charged from rhythmically into a two wave twisting as shown below. Despite the

strength of the winds the central part was still intact and was motionless and the opposite sides

tossing in both directions [ CITATION Har21 \l 1033 ].

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It is reported that the bridge was experiencing a vibrations of 14vib/min. this drastic motion was

caused by the collapse of one of the cables along the north side which was connecting to the

center of the diagonal ties. The pillars carrying them were drawn into them due to alternate

sagging and hogging of span members. Even before whole bridge collapsed into the water,

noticeable and prominent cracks formed.

The shape of the bridge was aerodynamically unstable along the transverse sections and

directions. The phase of oscillation was due to the leading vortex generation. It is considered that

the problem which led to the collapse of Tacoma narrows Bridge was not a new thing however it

subject to something caused by winds over the ages [ CITATION Sie19 \l 1033 ]. Due to the action of

the wind had increased the stiffness which could be seen through some various design like

addition of greater loads, adopting the dampers and stiffness. In as much these factors were never

put into consideration they became the part of the later forensics.

The Tacoma majorly collapsed due to the effect of the aeroelastic flutter. In an ordinary bridge

design, the wind is allowed to pa through the structure by incorporating trusses. However, as in

the case of Tacoma, it was however forced to move above and below the bridge structure. This
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was the leading cause to separations. Therefore, for due to such flow separation in the presence

of an object which led to the development of the Karman vortex street as the flow is passing

through the object.

SOURCE: [ CITATION Har21 \l 1033 ]

After this collapse, the bridge was redesigned the newly built bridge of Tacoma was designed

and incorporate the open trusses, the stiffening struts and allowed the wind to flow freely through

all the openings in the roadsides and roadbeds. In comparison to the previous design, twisting

that was developed in the bridge was considered to be less severe [ CITATION Pra19 \l 1033 ].

The strength of the bridge adding the trusses and openings below the decks to decks to reduce

the oscillations. This has been the reason the bridge is still working to date. The idea of having

and using the dynamic and the modal analysis for design of bridges to have received greater

impetus after the disaster.

Hence the deflective theory serves as the greater model for the complex analysis of the structural

engineers to obtains tresses and deflections. For this reason, there was an eventual development

of the finite element analysis as a generic tool for the designing civil engineering structure.
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References

Harish, A. (2021). Why the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapsed: An Engineering Analysis. NEW

YORK : SIMCALE. Retrieved from https://www.simscale.com/blog/2018/07/tacoma-

narrows-bridge-collapse/#:~:text=The%20Tacoma%20Narrows%20Bridge%20collapsed

%20primarily%20due%20to%20the%20aeroelastic,structure%2C%20leading%20to

%20flow%20separation.

Practical Engineering. (2019). Why the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapsed. Retrieved from

https://practical.engineering/blog/2019/3/9/why-the-tacoma-narrows-bridge-collapsed

Siegel, E. (2019). Science Busts The Biggest Myth Ever About Why Bridges Collapse. Retrieved

from https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/05/24/science-busts-the-

biggest-myth-ever-about-why-bridges-collapse/?sh=becf791f4c04