Read how the Tay Bridge collapsed. Match the sentences (1-5) with the diagrams (a-e) below.

1There was strong wind when a train was
crossing the bridge.

2 The base of one of the columns lifted.

3 This (lifting) caused the strengthening parts of
the structure to collapse.

4 The whole structure started to fall.

5 While the structure was falling, the girders
collapsed in the opposite direction, causing the
pier to collapse completely.

 

bridge ■ collapse ■ cracked ■ disaster ■ enquiry i killed ■ substandard

Reading

3 What do you think the text will be about? Discuss your ideas with the rest of the class. Read the text and check.

THE TAY BRIDGEin Scotland was designed and built by Sir Thomas Bouch in the nineteenth century. The bridge, which was over 3km long, opened in 1878 and fell down in a winter storm in 1879. A train carrying 70 people was on the bridge at the time and all the people were killed.

There was an enquiry into the Tay Bridge disaster to find out why the accident happened. One of the conclusions was that the design and construction were based on how quickly and cheaply it could be built; safety and strength were not thought about properly. Another conclusion was that it was a very cold winter and the iron may have cracked when it contracted. Also, the design was based on experience rather than the more scientific and accurate calculations used today.

During the twentieth century engineers used computers to do a detailed structural analysis of the design used for the Tay Bridge. The results confirm that the design of the bridge was definitely substandard.