...
- While these are much less common nowadays, some bridges collapse not long after completion due to design errors or issues with the materials.
- This is why multiple inspections throughout the construction process is necessary to reduce this issue.
- In 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed four months after completion. A design flaw caused the bridge to shake violently in the wind. Once the bridge reached the same frequency as the wind the bridge collapsed.
The collapse can be seen in this video:
| Widget Connector | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Fires
- Although there aren't as many wood bridges as there used to be, fires can still lead to bridge collapses if a tanker truck explodes on a bridge casing extremely hot fires which can melt steel and other structural components.
- Designers have already adapted to this issue by protecting any utility lines that span across bridges so the gas, electrical, or other utility lines don't cause fires.
- In 2016, the Liberty Bridge was damaged in a construction-related fire. The fire started from a welding tool igniting a plastic pipe and tarp. The fire was so hot that it bent a 30-foot steel beam by six inches.
- Bracing and heat treatments were required to bring the bridge back to it's designed structural alignment.
...