The Collapse of the Westgate Bridge, Located in Melbourne, Australia

Foundation tasks are normally planned and built utilizing entrenched points of reference. The Goodwill Bridge is an unordinary bit of framework in that the type of the structure was vigorously impacted by a stylish and sculptural idea that was chosen by the customer by means of a building configuration rivalry. Not at all like most foundation tasks, there were few if any points

The construction of the Skyline Plaza in Fairfax County came to a halt early in the afternoon on March 2, 1973. It was originally speculated by the workers on site that the crane assisting in lifting materials to the higher sections of the building failed and fell into the side of the building causing the collapse. However, Author Dov Kaminetsky conducted research alongside the National Bereau of Standards(NBS), and published his book, Design and Construction: Lessons from Forensic Investigations.[2] Kaminetsky provides the conclusion of NBS 's investigation that the collapse was a result of shear construction error. The building began to collapse as construction workers proceeded to remove the concrete shoring between the middle sector of the building, specifically the 22nd and 23rd floor. The shoring process requires the placement of a concrete structure to support a building while under construction to prevent the collapse of the operation. The result of the collapse took the lives of 14 construction workers and 35 other individuals near the building. With proper critique to policies and evaluation of work orders, further disasters may be prevented in the future in the United States. So how did theinvestigationn of the

The report debates the Tacoma narrows bridge failure and the different theories of how it came about, using information about what type of bridge it is and the forces acting on it before and during the collapse. It also discusses ways in which the failure could have been avoided, from changes in the design to modifications to the bridge after its construction.

In Washington, the Interstate 5 bridge, which crossed the Skagit River, collapsed last month. The damage of this accident included two cars broke and three persons injured. According to officials, the bridge fell into the river after the large truck hit a beam. The bridge had a risky condition called facture critical. The U.S has a lot of bridges; however, nearly two thousand bridges were built between the middle of 1950s and the 1970s, so those ones are obsolete bridges. In addition, back then, the government cut corners in bridge buildings to cost reduction. Although gas and diesel taxes attempted to allocate to restored the bridge, the government cloud not collect money enough to repair the bridge because people began to use efficient vehicle.

Calculations were performed to determine the effectiveness of the design of the platform. Allowing for a safety factor of 1.5 times the design weight of 10kg and considering the bridge must not be overdesigned; plans were made for the bridge to fail at 25kg, 2.5 times that of the design weight. According to the calculations, the bridge would hold a load of over 15kg and experience failure at 20kg in the members. These calculations were later disproven in the testing, breaking 8kg earlier than expected, due to unforseen errors. An analysis of the bridge design and calculations has been included at the end of this report.

In 1919, a study was begun to see if it would be possible to build a bridge across the Golden Gate. Michael O’Shaughnessy was the San Francisco city engineer. He was in charge of the rebuilding of the city after the devastating 1906 earthquake that destroyed much of the city. O’Shaughnessy knew the need for the city to have bridges. Most said it could not be done and others said it could be done but “it would cost about $100 million to build it” (Barter 23). O’Shaughnessy and Strauss, both wanting the same thing, got together. After the two consulted, they figured the only way to bridge the channel was to use a suspension bridge.

The bridge was constructed of carbon steel, which tends to crack. Many cracks were found throughout the bridge among extensive corrosion. Upon investigation, it was found that the collapse was due to a defective eye-bar that experienced a cleavage fracture in the lower part of its head which was resulted from stress corrosion and corrosion fatigue. [26] Since the eye-bars were not designed to be redundant, failure in one eye-bar would disrupt the continuity of the suspension system. This disruption is what caused the bridge to collapse suddenly. The location of the flaw

According to Code of Ethics (2. 1), engineers are required to continue to develop their skills even if they have hired by a company. Those Engineers who designed the bridge did not have either sound knowledge relating to how to implement in the real society or practised engineering techniques so that they created a bridge that collapsed after several decades.

Improperly designed welds on the cross bracing led to the failure of 3 of the bridge’s beams. Extremely cold weather and constant morning rush-hour traffic also added to the list of causes. This caused the bridge to buckle inwards.

On July 17th, 1981, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri held a tea-dance party in their majestic atrium lobby. The atrium had suspended walkways spanning the width of the lobby. Two of those walkways spanned lobby at the 2nd and 4th floor levels directly over each other. The problem arises from the design of the structural supports of the two walkways which resulted in a catastrophic collapse, causing loss of life and injuries. The cause of the collapse is gone over in minute detail in the documentary “Seconds From Disaster: Skywalk Collapse” by National Geographic. The engineering error is not the subject of discussion, however, the ethics behind this incident is what ultimately led to the design error.

The man who drew the designs for the bridge was John Low Waddell. The people of Duluth were eager to build the lift bridge, which would have been about 130 feet wide. However, the War Department declined the design that John Waddell made, and the project was canceled before it could be built. Waddell's design went on to be built in Chicago. New plans were later drawn up for a structure that would bring people from one side to the other. This type of bridge was first demonstrated in Bilbao's Vizcaya Bridge in 1893. The Lift Bridge was then finally completed in 1905. After the history is learned the structure is very important as well to know. The height of the Lift Bridge is 180 feet when completely raised and the length is 386 feet and weighs approximately 900 tons. The bridge is very similar to the only other one of its kind in the world, which is in Rouen, France. The last and most important thing that

The towers were built of granite and had two arches. These towers were taller than any other building in the city. The two towers held massive steel cables that spanned from one side of the bridge to the other. This design was used to keep traffic flowing and the roadways were designed to keep constant movement of traffic. The reason for the towers having to be that high was because ships had to be able to go under the bridge. None of this would have been possible if it wasn't to roeblings invention of the steel cable. To make the 4 main suspension cables wires were pulled strand by strand to be formed into one massive cable. Each cable was consisted of 6,289 of these wires. 331 wires to a strand and 19 strands to a cable. While the cables were being put on the bridge a huge problem had aroused. “The J.Lloyd Haigh” company that was responsible for giving the wire for the cables to hold the ends of the bridge up, the cables were found to be faulty wires. It was impossible at that time to redo the cables for the bridge, roebling told everyone who knew to keep the story as quiet as possible and 150 extra wires were added to each cable to strengthen them. The owner of the company “J.Lloyd Haigh” was put in jail for giving faulty wires. Spinning the cables between the towers began in the summer of 1877, and was finished a year and four months later. But it would take another five years to

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is perhaps the most notorious failure in the world of engineering. It collapsed on November 7, 1940 just months after its opening on July 1, 1940. It was designed by Leon Moisseiff and at its time it was the third largest suspension bridge in the world with a center span of over half a mile long. The bridge was very narrow and sleek giving it a look of grace, but this design made it very flexible in the wind. Nicknamed the "Galloping Gertie," because of its undulating behavior, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge drew the attention of motorists seeking a cheap thrill. Drivers felt that they were driving on a roller coaster, as they would disappear from sight in the trough of

No design is perfect. The Oakland Bay Bridge consisted of two eight-mile long, suspension bridges. C. H. Purcell first built it in the 1930’s. According to Britannica Online, he originally had structural issues with the sinking to bedrock in the central anchorage. When repairing the bridge after Loma Prieta, the challenge was making it more seismically sound. The West Span of the bridge held up due to its suspension design. This led to the West Span being more flexible than the East. Bridges must have a certain level of flexibility, but not so flexible that extreme conditions would create another disaster such as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse of 1940. The West side of the bridge was mostly in tension when the earthquake hit. Allowing the bridge to absorb forces and create equal and opposite forces of its own kept the West side of the bridge intact. However, the stiffness of the East Span of the bridge was too stiff to handle the brute force of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Having flexibility in a design allows for the bridge to react to outside forces. Being too rigid would give necessary allowance for certain

Bridges collapse because either their design or construction fail to meet contemporary industry standards, or those standards are inadequate to ensure safety in the face of unexpected circumstances. (Wallace, Jonathan).