WOBBLING OF PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES

On June 10, 2000, the Millennium Bridge in London opened to the public. As people crossed it, it wobbled, leading to its closure three days later. It reopened after modifications to prevent the wobbling were made. To gain understanding on the physics behind this event, we developed and studied a toy model of a pedestrian-bridge system. Within this model, when the natural frequency of the bridge is the same as the walking frequency of the pedestrian, the lateral oscillations of the bridge and the pedestrian synchronize in antiphase. The model predicts the amplitude of the bridge oscillations.

Automated summary

The Millennium Bridge in London opened to the public on June 10, 2000 but had to be closed just three days later due to wobbling issues. After modifications were made to prevent the wobbling, the bridge reopened. To understand the physics behind this phenomenon, researchers developed and studied a toy model of a pedestrian-bridge system. The model revealed that when the natural frequency of the bridge matched the walking frequency of the pedestrian, the lateral oscillations of both would synchronize in antiphase. The model also predicted the amplitude of the bridge oscillations.