Partial bridge collapse during demo
Partial bridge collapse during demo
(OP)
http://www.kcci.com/r/27659704/detail.html
Did any of you guys see this story out of Iowa? It looks like they removed the center span out of the continuous three-span beams and then drove an excavator on what was left. Those beams weren't designed for that loading scenario, so it's no surprise that they failed.
On a side note, I wish news outlets would research the correct terms to use in their stories. Pier. It's called a pier.
Did any of you guys see this story out of Iowa? It looks like they removed the center span out of the continuous three-span beams and then drove an excavator on what was left. Those beams weren't designed for that loading scenario, so it's no surprise that they failed.
On a side note, I wish news outlets would research the correct terms to use in their stories. Pier. It's called a pier.






RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
A MOT construction supervisor! If he knew the reason it collapsed then he would have prevented it happening in the first place.
This is the type of lack of understanding that keeps me employed as a temporary works engineer.
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
The article states otherwise:
They weren't seriously injured. Which is very fortunate.
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
We have a bridge replacement project going on right now in Greene County, NY where the contractor gave us a lot of crap because we demanded more information and calculations in their demo plan before it could be approved. He didn't want to provide the additional calcs, so he instead altered his demo plan until we were comfortable with it.
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
Flexural failures are usually more ductile than brittle. At least they are supposed to be.
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
It almost looks like a clean break. That seems very strange to me. It almost looks similar to construction would would find in a cantilever beam system.
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
There are some odd axial splits near the top, and the entire bottom seems to have spalled off, as if the rebars were pulled out of it axially. We see short bits of rebar protruding, too.
At 1:34-ish, we see a close-up of the midpspan fracture, with an object near the foreground that at first looked like a rebar, but on closer examination looks more like a rack. I have no idea what that would be doing there.
At 1:54, we see the excavator, having miraculously gotten off the rubble without damage, apply a jackhammer to the standing partial span, which seems to crumble immediately, as if unreinforced.
Of course, much valuable forensic material is now gone...
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo
http://galvestondailynews.com/story/227678/
RE: Partial bridge collapse during demo