england, 1820. brighton chain pier, 1830s menai strait suspension bridge, 1826
TRANSCRIPT
England, 1820
Brighton Chain Pier, 1830s
Menai Strait Suspension Bridge, 1826
Robert Stephenson
Britannia Tubular Bridge
John A.Roebling
“storms are unquestionably the greatest enemies of
suspension bridges.”
--John Roebling
1841
What made the Niagara Bridge work for railway traffic?
“Weight, Girders, Trusses, and Stays”
--John Roebling, Final Report (1855)
--Robert Stephenson to John Roebling
“If your bridge succeeds, mine is a magnificent blunder”
Cincinnati-Covington
(Ohio River)Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge,
1883
Williamsburg Bridge, 1903
Ben Franklin Bridge
Thousand Islands Bridge
Deer Isle Bridge
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Lessons Learned
• wind is the enemy of suspension bridges
• unstiffened decks are vulnerable to the wind
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Mackinac Straits Bridge
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
Severn Bridge
“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on
retentiveness. . . .
“Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it.”
--George Santayana
Dee Bridge, 1847
Tay Bridge, 1879
Quebec Bridge
Milford Haven Bridge
A major failure every 30 years
• 1847 - Dee Bridge, trussed girder • 1879 - Tay Bridge, truss • 1907 - Quebec Bridge, cantilever • 1940 - Tacoma Narrows Bridge, suspension• 1970 - Milford Haven Bridge, steel box girder • 2000 –London Millennium Bridge, pedestrian • 2030 - ?
Dong Ting Lake Bridge
Clearwater Bridge