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How a cargo ship took down Baltimore's Key Bridge
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/26/how-key-bridge-collapsed-baltimore/
Gift Link: https://wapo.st/49kiRN6
To bridge experts, the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after being hit by a heavy cargo ship was as inevitable as it was devastating.
When a vessel as heavy as the Singapore-flagged Dali collides with such force against one of the span’s supercolumns, or piers, the result is the type of catastrophic, and heartbreaking, chain reaction that took place early Tuesday.
“If the column is destroyed, basically the structure will fall down,” said Dan Frangopol, a bridge engineering and risk professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania who is president of the International Association for Bridge Maintenance and Safety. “It’s not possible to redistribute the loads. It was not designed for these things.”
No bridge pier could withstand being hit by a ship the size of the Dali, said Benjamin W. Schafer, a professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
“These container ships are so huge,” Schafer said. “That main span has two supports. You can’t take one away.”
Gift Link: https://wapo.st/49kiRN6
To bridge experts, the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after being hit by a heavy cargo ship was as inevitable as it was devastating.
When a vessel as heavy as the Singapore-flagged Dali collides with such force against one of the span’s supercolumns, or piers, the result is the type of catastrophic, and heartbreaking, chain reaction that took place early Tuesday.
“If the column is destroyed, basically the structure will fall down,” said Dan Frangopol, a bridge engineering and risk professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania who is president of the International Association for Bridge Maintenance and Safety. “It’s not possible to redistribute the loads. It was not designed for these things.”
No bridge pier could withstand being hit by a ship the size of the Dali, said Benjamin W. Schafer, a professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
“These container ships are so huge,” Schafer said. “That main span has two supports. You can’t take one away.”
For nerds like me interested in the engineering aspect of how this happened. The key bridge does have protective "dolphins" but was no match for such a large heavy ship hitting at an angle. Ships now are much bigger than they were back in the 70s. Several qualified experts recommend having the Coast Guard require tug boats for these large ships. They might see some political pressure for that after this incident.
An example of protective fenders:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_(structure)
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