10 Unusual Facts You Didn’t Know About The Tay Bridge Disaster
3. The Wind Pressure Commission Was Established Due To The Disaster
Following the findings of the Board Of Trade that miscalculations in how much wind pressure the Tay Bridge could withstand had led to the disaster; a five man commission was established to assess what correct wind loading should be considered when constructing bridges.
The commission set about collecting data from stations and observatories with wind pressure gages in order to calculate what the highest pressure of wind in the British Isles could be. The commission published a report which stated that from then on when building bridges or viaducts, a maximum wind pressure of 56lbs per square foot must be observed. The storm on the night of the Tay Bridge Disaster was striking the bridge at a right angle and estimated to have been 10/11 on the Beaufort force scale with the winds reaching speeds of fifty-five knots.
Interestingly, it was commission member William Henry Barlow who was asked to draft up the designs that were used for the New Tay Bridge.