"Omelet" > wrote in message news
> In article >,
> Dave Smith > wrote:
>
>> Omelet wrote:
>> > Those pictures were indeed scary.
>> > I don't think that that bridge was designed for rush hour traffic when
>> > it was built. It was pretty old.
>>
>> Of course it was built for rush hour traffic. Bridges are designed to carry
>> as much weight as it takes to fill all lanes completely. In fact, they are
>> usually designed to support about double the maximum expected, which should
>> leave a huge margin of error. Unfortunately, this was one which was built
>> without any structural redundancy which would have provided for another
>> part of the structure to compensate for the failure of another. As a
>> result, when one section fails the whole thing collapses.
>>
>> The bridge was not that old. It was only 40 years old. That is relatively
>> young for a bridge. Bridges are not built to have a specific life and then
>> torn down and replaced. There are ongoing maintenance programs to detect
>> weaknesses and repair them. The Peace Bridge between Buffalo NY and Fort
>> Erie Ont. is 80 years old and it still has the original deck. That is quite
>> an engineering feat, but they were able to do it because of regular and
>> thorough maintenance work.
>
> So who is going to hang for this?
>
> Seems to me it would have been a team effort...
>
> I rather like the Japanese philosophy.
> Fix the problem, not the blame.
Metal fatigue starts from the moment a structure is built.
Bridges, buildings, airplanes and everything else designed
to support human beings are engineered to withstand only
so much before failing. They are kept alive by routine
maintenance -- stripping and painting, repaving and
repair, replacement or reinforcement of components as
fatigue cracks develop.
This bridge had a history of *not* being maintained. The
responsible authorities, instead of repairing it as needed,
decided simply to inspect it more often. The choice was
intended to save money. Unfortunately, during the last
six years virtually every available dollar has been spent
on the Bush war and on pork (OB: rfc). Almost nothing
has been spent on things like repairing infrastructure --
roads, bridges, levees. Even less is spent enforcing
things like mine safety. As a result, Americans are dying
needlessly in horrific accidents, not to mention Iraq.
--
Regards,
Robert L Bass
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Bass Home Electronics
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