Baltimore Bridge Collapse

ICBM

ToneControl said:

I was wondering if this bridge was designed and constructed before the proliferation of enormous container ships.

It was, but with the lack of protection for the piers, I suspect even a smaller ship might have produced the same result.

GuyBoden

An Engineering perspective.

"The case of the Baltimore bridge collapse, the metallic truss was designed as one continuous system. The space between each support, or pier, is known as the truss span. The collapse of one of the piers effectively doubled the truss span to the next support. This dramatic increase in span exerted a much larger force on the remaining truss structure.

While continuous truss systems are favoured because they can redistribute weight in the event of damage, in this case, the remaining truss elements couldn’t withstand all that extra force after the pier failed.

This resulted in the complete collapse of the truss section above the damaged pier. The collapse didn’t stop there, however. Due to the interconnected nature of the trusses, the remaining section was initially pulled upwards. The sudden release of this tension created a powerful dynamic effect, ultimately causing the entire bridge to collapse."