British Universities Film & Video Council

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Failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, The

Synopsis
The Tacoma Narrows is near Seattle, Washington, and is exposed to westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean. The construction of a suspension bridge across the narrows began in Novermber 1938 and in July 1940 the bridge was opened to traffic. On 7 Novermber 1940 in ‘moderate winds’ the bridge developed a resonangt torsional oscillation and after 70 minutes the central span collapsed. The collapse was captured on 8mm film by an amateur cameraman. This version includes sequences of the building and opening of the bridge, details of its dimensions, and the development of the resonant osciallation that led to its collapse.
Language
English
Country
United States
Medium
Film; Video; Film. 16mm. sd. b&w. 20 min. Videocassette. VHS. st. b&w. 20 min.
Technical information
Black-and-white / Sound
Year of production
1940
Availability
Free loan
Notes
See also COLLAPSE OF THE TACOMA NARROWS SUSPENSION BRIDGE.
See also THE TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE COLLAPSE.
See also THE STORY OF THE TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE.
See also OSCILLATIONS OF A MODEL SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN WIND & THE STORY OF THE TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE 1938-1940.
Uses
Engineers, physicists, architects, applied mathematicians.*
Subjects
Engineering
Keywords
bridges; civil engineering; stress in materials; structural components; Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Distribution Formats

Type
Film
Format
16mm

Production Company

Name

[Washington state]

Address
USA

Distributor

Name

Institution of Civil Engineers

Email
library@ice.org.uk
Web
http://www.ice.org.uk External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7665 2251
Fax
020 7976 7610
Address
Library
1 Great George Street
London
SW1P 3AA
Notes
The ICE library has hundreds of VHS tapes and a growing collection of DVDs for loan to members and lecturers interested in the work of professional engineers. Audio recordings of a range of recent lectures held at the ICE are available for free online playback.
Name

Viewtech Educational Media

Contact
Lynda Morrell
Notes
NB. Viewtech ceased trading in 2014 and the company’s products are no longer in distribution For over 30 years Viewtech distributed programmes from leading specialist educational producers from around the world and since 2002 it included titles previously distributed in the UK by Educational Media Film & Video. The extensive collection covered all subjects within the primary and secondary curriculum and some materials, particularly in the areas of study skills and business, are applicable to further/higher education.

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