Why Computational Fluid Dynamics?
On November 7, 1940, one of the most spectacular engineering failures of the 20th century occured in Tacoma, Washington. During the early morning hours, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge began to undulate violently in 35+ mph winds. After several hours (and luckily after the bridge had been closed by police), the oscillations took the form of a twisting motion that would cause the main section of the brigde to tilt at up to a 45o angle from its original position. After approximately one-half hour of this twisting motion, the main span of the bridge collapsed. The bridge, which had cost $6.4 million, had been open for only a little over four months. The fundamental design flaw in the Tacoma bridge was a failure to account for the resonance vibrations generated in the structure due to the aerodynamic forces. Subsequently, the replacement bridge design was tested a wind tunnel to measure potential wind effects before being built, and such type of testing became standard for all future brigde desi
