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marmar

(76,982 posts)
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 09:07 PM Apr 2013

SF: Rainwater Might Have Damaged Flawed Bay Bridge Bolts





California Transportation Department officials at a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission on Wednesday said that faulty bolts being used in the construction of a new span of the Bay Bridge might have been damaged by rainwater, reports KQED's Rachel Dornhelm.

They also said they can't promise the bridge will be ready for its scheduled Labor Day opening.

The bolts are intended to stabilize the bridge in the event of an earthquake. Earlier reports focused on the manufacturing process. In fact, some questions came up about the way the bolts were made by Dyson Corp. of Ohio, and hydrogen in the bolts appears to have made them brittle.

But engineers in the meeting raised a new possibility: The hydrogen could have come from rainwater gathering in the holes where the bolts sat after being installed. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/04/10/broken-bolts-could-result-from-bay-bridge-design-flaw/



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SF: Rainwater Might Have Damaged Flawed Bay Bridge Bolts (Original Post) marmar Apr 2013 OP
Amazing new engineering discovery: Ferritic alloy steels can corrode in the presence of oxygen. slackmaster Apr 2013 #1
Nobody could have predicted it would rain in SFO BeyondGeography Apr 2013 #2
Were the bolts made in China? DJ13 Apr 2013 #3
Almost as bad: Ohio. By Dyson, who is no doubt trying to kestrel91316 Apr 2013 #6
Ah, okay DJ13 Apr 2013 #8
You have a bridge whose repair has totalled some 6.4 billions of dollars. truedelphi Apr 2013 #4
How do you figure this is a "repair"? A HERETIC I AM Apr 2013 #5
Right you are. I left truedelphi Apr 2013 #9
There were many who said "Let's just retrofit the old one." Luminous Animal Apr 2013 #7
NO they couldn't retrofit the old bridge, the foundations are rotting CreekDog Apr 2013 #10
 

slackmaster

(60,567 posts)
1. Amazing new engineering discovery: Ferritic alloy steels can corrode in the presence of oxygen.
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 09:08 PM
Apr 2013

Even faster when water is present.

 

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)
6. Almost as bad: Ohio. By Dyson, who is no doubt trying to
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 10:57 PM
Apr 2013

maximize profits from the deal by cutting corners.

DJ13

(23,671 posts)
8. Ah, okay
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 11:01 PM
Apr 2013

I remember reading about the spans being made in China, but an Ohio company cutting corners like this is inexcusable.

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
4. You have a bridge whose repair has totalled some 6.4 billions of dollars.
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 10:36 PM
Apr 2013

And yet, there is no way to know if we are getting our monies worth. Supposedly so much was spent on the bridge so that in the event of a large earthquake, people would be safe, were they driving on the bridge at that point in time.

The only way we will know if we got our monies worth is after such an earthquake.But the fact that even the guldarn bolts have proven to be unreliable tends to show us this was a boondoggle.

Critics said early on: wouldn't we all be better off if that amount of money had just been put into the hospital monies, to help people with getting health care?

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
9. Right you are. I left
Fri Apr 12, 2013, 04:21 AM
Apr 2013

The SF Bay area in 2005 - couldn't remember if this was a total replacement or repair or whatever.

Luminous Animal

(27,310 posts)
7. There were many who said "Let's just retrofit the old one."
Thu Apr 11, 2013, 11:01 PM
Apr 2013

Which was totally doable and would have done by now at a fraction of the cost.

I was pregnant during the '89 earthquake. My daughter is 23 now.

CreekDog

(46,192 posts)
10. NO they couldn't retrofit the old bridge, the foundations are rotting
Fri Apr 12, 2013, 04:29 AM
Apr 2013

the foundations are old timbers pounded into a couple hundred feet of bay mud.

not only that, retrofitting the old bridge would not allow it to stay open during construction as continually as it has.

and what is this "fraction of the cost", you think they were going to retrofit the old bridge for 500 million?

obviously you know better than all the structural engineers.

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