Epic Engineering Failures and the Lessons They Teach Season 1 Episode 5 Earthquake Loading: The Cypress Structure
- 37 min
If you were watching Game 3 of the 1989 World Series, you saw the Loma Prieta earthquake as it happened. While the earthquake caused many fires, landslides, and structural failures, two thirds of the fatalities were caused by the collapse of the Cypress Structure, a two-level elevated highway. Explore the complex effects of earthquakes on structures and learn the role resonance and sediment-induced amplification played in this catastrophe.