Ethical Issues from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse

J. Paul Guyer, P.E., R.A., Fellow ASCE, Fellow AEI

Course Outline

1.  Introduction
2.  History
3.  Design
4.  Oscillation Mitigation Efforts
5.  The Collapse
6.  The Investigation
7.  The Ethical Issues
8.  Lessons Learned

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will learn:

• Learn about the history of the project and the economic, commercial and national security issues that shaped its development;
• Learn about the two different design approaches suggested by different engineering teams;
• Learn about the ominous oscillations observed both during and after construction;
• Learn about the previously unseen mode of oscillation observed on the day of its collapse;
• Learn from file photos, and a link to an on-site video, what observers at the scene saw at the time;
• Learn about the technical investigation that followed the collapse;
• Learn about the vortex-shedding/resonance theory;
• Learn about the aerodynamic flutter theory;
• Learn about the ethical lessons learned from collapse of he Tacoma Narrows bridge; and
• Learn about a tool employed by bridge engineers today to address the issues illuminated by the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for engineers, architects and other design and construction professionals wanting to learn about the ethical issues that were raised by the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge, and the lessons engineers learned from this major engineering incident.

Benefit for Attendee

This course will give engineers and others an ethical framework within which to address many complex engineering projects that challenge the limits of engineering theoretical knowledge and experience.

Course Introduction

This is a discussion of issues in bridge engineering ethics, that has application in all engineering disciplines and fields of practice.

About Course Author

Paul Guyer is a registered mechanical engineer, civil engineer, fire protection engineer and architect with over 35 years experience in the design of buildings and related infrastructure.  For an additional 9 years he was a senior-level advisor to the California Legislature on infrastructure and capital outlay issues.  He has designed and supervised the design of hundreds of construction projects requiring the preparation of detailed working drawings and specifications for federal, state and local public agencies and private companies.  He is a graduate of Stanford University and has held numerous national, state and local positions with the American Society of Civil Engineers and National Society of Professional Engineers.

Course Content

You need to view and study the following materials for this course:

1. Ethical Issues from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (slides handout in PDF, 18 pages, 4.1 MB)
2. Ethical Issues from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (video) (Request the link to video)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.

Course Summary

This course will give engineers and others an insight into the lessons that can be learned from the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge in 1940.

Quiz

You need to print the quiz questions prior to viewing the videos. At the end of the viewing, you must complete the quiz and submit your answers online to obtain your PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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