Marching soldiers are cautioned to break stride on a bridge, lest they match the bridge’s frequency of vibration. In April 1831, a brigade of soldiers marched in step across England’s Broughton Suspension Bridge. According to accounts of the time, the bridge broke apart beneath the soldiers, throwing dozens of men into the water.
Why are marching soldiers cautioned to break stride on a bridge? Marching soldiers are cautioned to break stride on a bridge, lest they match the bridge’s frequency of vibration. In April 1831, a brigade of soldiers marched in step across England’s Broughton Suspension Bridge. According to accounts of the time, the bridge broke apart beneath the soldiers, throwing dozens of men into the water.
What happened to the British Army bridge? According to accounts of the time, the bridge broke apart beneath the soldiers, throwing dozens of men into the water. After this happened, the British Army reportedly sent new orders: Soldiers crossing a long bridge must “break stride,” or not march in unison, to stop such a situation from occurring again.
What happened to the suspension bridge in 1831? April 12, 1831: Marching Soldiers Cause Suspension Bridge Collapse! On April 12, 1831, 74 British soldiers got the surprise of their lives when the “new fangled” suspension bridge they were marching across collapsed! The bridge at Broughton, near Manchester, England, was built in 1826 in the new “suspension” style.
What happened to the British soldiers who crossed the Battle of Waterloo? Thankfully for all the troops involved, no one was killed and only a few had broken bones, but ever since then, troops are given the command of “Break Step” (the British equivalent of the command “Route Step, March”) when they cross a bridge. As unbelievable as that might sound, there’s strong scientific evidence to corroborate the story.
Why are marching soldiers cautioned to break stride on a bridge?
Why are soldiers cautioned to break stride on a bridge? Explain it. Marching soldiers are cautioned to break stride on a bridge, lest they match the bridge’s frequency of vibration. A force that’s applied to an object at the same frequency as the object’s natural frequency will amplify the vibration of the object in an occurrence called mechanical resonance.
What happens when soldiers march across a bridge in unison? If soldiers march in unison across the structure, they apply a force at the frequency of their step. If their frequency is closely matched to the bridge’s frequency, the soldiers’ rhythmic marching will amplify the vibrational frequency of the bridge.
What happened to the British Army bridge? According to accounts of the time, the bridge broke apart beneath the soldiers, throwing dozens of men into the water. After this happened, the British Army reportedly sent new orders: Soldiers crossing a long bridge must “break stride,” or not march in unison, to stop such a situation from occurring again.
Why can’t the British Army March in-step on bridges? On occasion, these unfounded urban legends get so widely accepted that they get written into regulations. It is because of this phenomenon that the British Army has had a standing order since 1831 to never march in-step on a bridge. At first glance, the reasoning seems silly.