Reference no: EM131547069

Detailed outline

Research question:
What happened to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and what steps can engineer take to avoid this situation from happening again?

Thesis statement:
There are important lessons that engineers can learn from studying the design and the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge so they can avoid this from happening again in the future.

I. Introduction

II. Design
A. As the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was being designed, engineers were not expecting wind that hits at 42 miles per hour.
B. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was too weak to hold because the bridge was too light, too shallow and too long.
III. Cause of collapse
How could a modern bridge with advanced design suffer failure from wind?
A. the main reason of the failure of Tacoma Narrows bridge was it's great flexibility, while the bridge was moving it acted like aerofoil, creating drag and lift.
B. aerodynamic were a bit understood, engineers were supposed to test bring modals and suspension.

IV. For avoiding future problems
A. Engineers must utilise computer simulations that makes them better understand design and pressure of wind flow.