Introduction
An important element of an engineer’s job is to have the ability to respond to a need by building or creating a device or structure to carry out a given purpose. It is important for this device to be able to perform its purpose without failure as it will be dealing with people life and therefor the highest amount of safety is needed. Though, everything must eventually fail, in some way e.g. a failure in maintenance or a structure failure. This is why a failure analysis is important to an engineer’s job.
A failure analysis is the process of collecting data and analyzing it to determine the cause of failure and then applying this knowledge to further prevent future occurrence, and/or to improve the performance device, component or structure. In an engineering point of view, this is very important as it allows engineers to understand and learn about past failures in engineering and using this newly gain knowledge, they are able to construct a better design which will lower fail rate and improve the factor of safety within device, components of structure.
In this failure analysis report the topic of choice that will be addressed is the engineering failure of the 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the U.S.A state of Washington that collapsed in the November 1940 due to its structural design not being aerodynamic, which caused the phenomenon called aeroelastic flutter to occur. The report will address the type of failure the 1940 Tacoma Narrow Bridge is classified under and strategies to mitigate the problem. The report will also discuss the reason for its failure and the ramification it had on financial and social aspects, and through failure analysis, how engineers and scientist were able to identified the problem an...
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[9] “Bridge Collapse Cases/Tacoma Narrows,”(MatDL], [online] 2011, http://matdl.org/failurecases/Bridge_Collapse_Cases/Tacoma_Narrows (Accessed: 15 April 2014)
[10] “Success: Creating the Narrows Bridge 1937-1940,” (Tacoma Narrows Bridge 1937-1940), [online] 2005, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/tnbhistory/connections/connections2.htm (Accessed: 15 April 2014)
[11] “Aftermath – Engineering Challenge and the Rise of a New Bridge,” (Tacoma Narrows Bridge), [online] 2005, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/tnbhistory/machine/machine4.htm (Accessed: 15 April 2014)
[12] “Lesson From the Failure of a Great Machine,” (Tacoma Narrows Bridge), [online] 2005, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/tnbhistory/machine/machine3.htm (Accessed: 15 April 2014)
Note:
• Grammar Check and plagiarism check
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The Bailey Island Bridge is located in Harpswell, Maine on Route 24. Before the making of the bridge, the fishermen that lived on Bailey’s Island wanted a bridge that connected their island to Orr’s Island. The town of Harpsweell made and voted on their decisions in the weekly town meetings (“Bailey”). The project was stalled because of some of the mainlanders in the town, but it was brought back up for discussion in 1912. They first agreed on a “road” which would connect the two islands and would be constructed with timber. This was to cost $3,000. The cost quickly reached $25,000 at a later town meting because they decided to build the bridge with stone and concrete instead. Once the legislature decided to pass a bill stating that it would fun state’s highway and bridge projects, they decided to move forward with the project (Hansen, 36).
The enormous responsibility that an engineer has when designing a project is often overlooked. His or her job is not only to create a design that will work under ideal conditions, but that will meet the regulations of environmental and building codes and will also survive the unpredictable forces of nature that structures are sometimes subjected to. An article in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, "Structures are Held up by Both Skill and Luck,"1 describes many risks involved in the designing process and the failures that can occur when small details are overlooked. In light of a recent surge of failures in the Northwest, the article says:
In the early 1900's, settlers of the San Francisco Bay Area considered the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which spans over eight miles long and 500 feet above the water at its highest point, an impossible feat. However, with only a few complications, the bridge was completed by November, 1936. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge consists of two bridge types. The east section is a cantilever bridge, and the west, a suspension bridge.
The reasons for the collapse are to be found in the acts and omissions of those entrusted with building a bridge of a new and highly sophisticated design.
At the time of its construction in 1929, the Ambassador Bridge was the largest spanned suspension bridge at 564 meters until the George Washington Bridge was built. It was an engineering masterpiece at the time. The total bridge length is 2,286 meters and rises to 118 meters above the river. Suspension cables support the main span of the Ambassador Bridge and the main pillars under the bridge are supported by steel in a cantilever truss structure. In total, the McClintic-Marshall masterpiece is comprised of 21,000 tons of steel. The immense socio-economical impact that the Ambassador Bridge has on transportation and trade is imperative for daily interaction between the Un...
Since its inception well over a century ago, the reality of a navigable waterway that extends from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay has been a central part of the fabric of Ontario. Constructed between 1833 and 1920, the Trent-Severn Waterway was designated to be of “national importance” in 1929 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and was considered to be an engineering marvel at the time. It was initially built for two specific purposes: to provide a useful watercourse that would enhance the logging industry and to provide a transportation corridor in the southern part of the system. The system currently contains 44 locks, the world’s tallest hydraulic lift lock, a marine railway, approximately 160 dams and water control structures and forty one reservoir lakes in the Haliburton Highlands that provide supplementary water to ensure that navigation levels are maintained. Geographically, it is Canada’s largest national historic site with more physical assets than any other, serving a regional population in the millions and supports the economies of more than 100 communities throughout its watershed. However, after nearly 180 years, it seems all is not well in this vast region of South-Central Ontario. The original waterway mandate, which focused purely on navigation, is now challenged to meet the expanded needs of a modern era. The TSW (Trent Severn Waterway) has always had its critics but it is now confronted by a multitude of stakeholders with sometimes diverse demands, and it’s response seems to fall short.
Throughout its nearly 60 year history, the Interstate Highway System has served the United States of America far beyond its original goals. From its original purposes of uniting the country and aiding defense to the more mundane, (but equally important)such as ferrying goods across the country, the Interstate Highway System has firmly entrenched itself as one of the greatest feats of engineering the world has ever known. Record setting bridges, tunnels, and length of pavement have all been made by the vast expanse of the IHS FACT. As Dwight D. Eisenhower, then president, stated “Together, the united forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name we bear -- United States. Without them, we would be a mere alliance of many separate parts” (http://todayinsci.com/Events/Transport/HighwayInterstate-Quotations.htm 22 Feb 1955)
On December 29, 1876, a train was crossing over a railroad bridge spanning the Ashtabula River when the entire bridge collapsed, sending most of the train into the frigid water below. This disaster would be the deadliest bridge disaster in the United States. Investigators quickly tried to determine why this bridge, after eleven years of service, collapsed. The investigators would ultimately place the blame on the president of the Ashtabula Railroad Company, Amasa Stone. The bridge was constructed with many flaws, both known and unknown. This disaster would lead to people realizing the need for structural standards for bridges and qualified engineers.
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 the wave. On the last day of the bridge's existence it gave fair warning that its destruction was eminent. Not only did it oscillate up and down, but twisted side to side in a cork screw motion. After hours of this violent motion with wind speeds reaching forty and fifty miles per hour, the bridge collapsed. With such a catastrophic failure, many people ask why such an apparently well thought out plan could have failed so badly?(This rhetorical question clearly sets up a position of inquiry-which iniates all research.) The reason for the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is still controversial, but three theories reveal the basis of an engineering explanation. (Jason then directly asserts what he found to be a possible answer to his question.)
Travelling across the country in an old Ford Model T would never be easy; but, traveling in a Model T on a bumpy dirt road with ruts and holes, almost unbearable. Thankfully, many advances in America’s roadway systems came about in the 1900s. Traveling from one city to another became not only quicker and easier, but also safer, thanks to the many innovations that roadways experienced over the last century. Many engineers put in a lot of time and effort to make these innovations and need to be accredited for their scientific achievements. However, getting to the roadway system that we take for granted today did not happen overnight. It took new technology and some brilliant minds to bring the pieces together to form the luxury of nice, smooth
In 1872, Charles Crocker, a railroad entrepreneur, called for a bridge that connected the Golden Gate Strait. The strait, approximately 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, is the entrance to San Francisco Bay, which is in California, from the Pacific Ocean. By 1916, Michael M. O'Shaughnessy, a San Francisco City Engineer, was asked by city officials to see if it was possible to build a bridge that crossed the strait. While most engineers claimed that a bridge was not able to be built and that it would cost about $100 million, Joseph Baermann Strauss claimed that a bridge would be easily built and would only cost about $25 to $30 million. After the long process of having the bridge design approved for constructing, on January 5, 1933, the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge had begun (“Golden Gate Bridge Research Library”). The main constructors included Joseph Baermann Strauss, Irving Morrow and Charles Ellis. Strauss had hired Irving Morrow to design small features for the bridge like pedestrian walkways and streetlamps. Morrow also made the bridge look luxurious by using a style called art deco (“Irving Morrow” and “Art Deco”). Since Morrow was to design the Bridge, he knew that it would play a significant role on its display in regards to its surroundings. As of today, “the color blends perfectly with the changing season tints of the spans’ natural setting against the San Francisco skyline and the Marin hills” (“Golden Gate Bridge Research Library”). Meanwhile, Charles Ellis was the engineering expert. He was later accused by Strauss of wasting money and time by working on equations of forces at the Golden Gate Bridge. Ellis was then told not to go back to construct the bridge. Ellis could not drop out of the project because he w...
Over the East River in New York City stands the Brooklyn Bridge, connecting the Brooklyn and Manhattan boroughs. From end to end, the bridge spans 6,016 feet and weighs a heavy 14,680 tons. Ever since construction on the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, the bridge has offered a safe route with scenic views to tens of thousands of tourists and commuters who have traveled it via train, car, pushcart, and bicycle. The history behind the Brooklyn Bridge is definitely intriguing as well as important because many fatalities occurred in the construction process, including one which occurred before construction on the bridge even started. Also, a lot of workers, time and money were used in building the bridge. In addition,
Quinn, R. (2008). Building the Bridge As You Walk On It. In J.L. Pierce, & J.W. Newstrom (Eds). The Manager’s Bookshelf (pp 233-236). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Johns Hopkins University. (2009, March). In disaster-prone areas, construction needs a new approach. Retrieved from http://phys.org/news157051992.html
A hazard is a potential damage, adverse health or harm that may effects something or someone at any conditions. Other than that, the risk may be high or low, that somebody could be harmed depending on the hazards. Risk assessment is a practice that helps to improve higher quality of the develop process and manufacturing process. It is also a step to examine the failure modes of the product in order to achieve higher standard of safety and product reliability. Unfortunately, it is common that a product safety risk assessments are not undertaken, or not carried out effectively by manufacturer. Mostly an unsafe and unreliable product was produced and launched on to the market. Thus, the safety problems are mostly identified after an accident happened or after manufacturing problems arisen. In order to prevent risk, a person should take enough precautions or should do more to prevent them because as a user should be protected from harm that usually caused by a failure for whom did not take reasonable control measures.