Who Broke The Bridge?

   / Who Broke The Bridge? #42  
Photos clearly show rivet heads.

That's what I thought until I made the pic bigger, do rivets come in hex shape? (curious not being a smart azz) or is it an optical illusion

bridge.jpg
 
   / Who Broke The Bridge? #44  
Well color me stupid. I thought rivets too, but no, they are hex head bolts.
 
   / Who Broke The Bridge? #45  
Well color me stupid. I thought rivets too, but no, they are hex head bolts.
Me stupid also.
But now, are those self tapping?
or is there an access backside to attach nuts not that it matters much as the break is well past those plates.
 
   / Who Broke The Bridge? #47  
I'm somewhat surprised the fracture occurred past the last row of bolts.
I'd have thought that 8 holes in a row (bolt pattern) would have created a fracture path.
Interesting!
But WOW, what stresses to create a near clean fracture in a 24" X 30" box beam.

As I said, must have sounded like a sonic boom from a jet breaking the sound barrier., especially with that long 24 x 36 sound tube.
Some vehicle drivers must have stained their drawers.
 
   / Who Broke The Bridge? #48  
Like I said it's going to be interesting...right now there are so few facts and so much speculation it's funny...!

Samples once taken and examined and tested etc could show a defect in the metal itself when the steel was made or the mill that made the components...nothing to do with the actual application...
 
   / Who Broke The Bridge? #49  
The articles are blaming the center of the M as a flex point. Will be interesting to see if that is really the cause.
If so, quite a few bridges will need to be more thoroughly checked.
I took statics and dynamics in college, why I originally became and electrical engineer, not mechanical o_O
 
   / Who Broke The Bridge?
  • Thread Starter
#50  
As I said, must have sounded like a sonic boom from a jet breaking the sound barrier., especially with that long 24 x 36 sound tube.
Some vehicle drivers must have stained their drawers.
Has it been stated that there was such an event? Or was this found during a routine inspection?
 

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