×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

(OP)
Another structural failure in my neighborhood...

When I was in my 1st year of Civil Eng. at McGill in 1983, one of my profs discussed the urgent need for inspection and maintenance of concrete (and other) structures because of the widespread use of de-icing salts.  Talk about foresight.

Another one of my profs was Dr. Saeed Mirza, whom I believe the local media have on speed-dial, given the sheer number of incidents.

We'll see what the experts say...

tg

 

RE: Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

"And while the exact cause of the collapse remained a mystery, two civil engineers were accusing the province of not properly inspecting the structure." - from the article


I always like to hear engineers jump to the conclusion that not enough inspections were done (sarcasm).  I suspect that if inspectors had long term liability, they'd all be accusing the engineers of not doing enough engineering as was the case in Minneapolis and numerous other bridge failures.

I am OK with engineers speculating with other engineers.  But our opinions to the public should be reserved.

RE: Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/5224451.bin?size=620x400

This image shows what appears to be precast beams supported on a ledge on the wall, supporting a series of precast panels (purpose unknown).

I wouldn't be quick to blame inspectors just yet, but I am curious about the wall repairs.  All of the support appears to have been in small segments of the wall, and the story says they were undertaking wall repairs.  This first makes me think it could have resulted from wall deterioration or the repairs themselves.

The ends of the beams and the supporting ledge are exposed to weather, which seems like an odd arrangement.  If the failure was in the beam, I'd expect it to be near an end, in the exposed D-region.  This configuration looks to be fairly easy to inspect, and I wonder what the reinforcement looked like in the original design.

RE: Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

Montreal has had significant problems with their infrastructure.  There have been a number of failures of bridges/overpasses in recent years.  I never read the report myself but I seem to recall one of the overpass failures was attributed mainly to poor construction (not built to drawings, weak materials), as opposed to the engineering design.  

Perhaps an unspoken cause is the cost cutting measures of construction companies linked to organized crime in the past?   

RE: Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

DBond ... almost all construction companies big enough that one uses to think about lobby to one scale that could be labeled as "organized crime"... some are as astute that even try to do the work well!

Worth to mention: if you search in the web the meaning in sumerian of

RIKISTUS

you will find with some surprise that means contractor of the works for the city (-then state). So you became (become?) rikistus (rich) if you do constructio work for the public bodies.

And we have many sumerian words still standing: dame, dama, was lady as now is. 5500 years of human mores.

RE: Montreal Tunnel ceiling collapse

Organized crime in Quebec again?  I guess I should tell my Uncle that the FLQ need some more taxi rides.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources