TO ENGINEER IS HUMAN The Role of Failure

Introduction • “What thing is it, the less it is the more is dread?

James Eads • Designed the Eads Bridge. • Adopted chrome steel as construction material.

Eads Bridge • Used for heavy railroad trains. • An elephant crossed the bridge.

John Roeblings • Notable successes, the Brooklyn bridge and the Double-decked Niagara bridge. •

Niagara Bridge • Double-decked bridge. • “If your bridge succeeds, then mine have been

Robert Stephenson • Designed the Britannia Bridge. • Used huge rectangular tubes of steel.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge • One of the most spectacular failures in history of engineering.

Conclusion “The paradox of engineering design is that successful structural concepts devolve into failures,

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TO ENGINEER IS HUMAN The Role of Failure in Successful Design CHAPTER 13 The Ups and Downs of Bridges Rodolfo Morales Guillermo Ovies Carlos Rodriguez Miguel Molina Erick Faudoa

Introduction • “What thing is it, the less it is the more is dread? ” • A bridge SUCCESS FAILURE

James Eads • Designed the Eads Bridge. • Adopted chrome steel as construction material. • Always confident about his designs.

Eads Bridge • Used for heavy railroad trains. • An elephant crossed the bridge. • Not earned the tolls that had been projected.

John Roeblings • Notable successes, the Brooklyn bridge and the Double-decked Niagara bridge. • Brooklyn bridge “the eight wonder of the world” opened in May 1883. • Son Washington Roebling oversaw the construction after his father’s dead.

Brooklyn Bridge

Niagara Bridge • Double-decked bridge. • “If your bridge succeeds, then mine have been magnificent blunders” – Robert Stephenson. • Roebling’s suspension bridges are the foundation for modern constructions.

Robert Stephenson • Designed the Britannia Bridge. • Used huge rectangular tubes of steel. • Skeptic about the suspension design which was used in the Niagara Bridge construction.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge • One of the most spectacular failures in history of engineering. • Two-lane center span over half mile long. • Undulated dramatic during construction. • Abnormally behavior when it was opened to traffic.

Conclusion “The paradox of engineering design is that successful structural concepts devolve into failures, while the colossal failures contribute to the evolution of innovative and inspiring structures. ”