Posted on 04/14/2014 2:27:30 AM PDT by blueplum
Some of the most vulnerable and integral cable sections and rods on the new $6.5 billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge are rusting.
The bridge suspension span and iconic tower rely on an unusual design: A single cable, comprising 137 steel strands, loops over the tower and under the bridge to hold it up. That cable is secured on the eastern edge of the span, inside chambers designed to keep out water and marine air to prevent corrosion.
But a Sacramento Bee investigation found that inside one of the chambers, where the suspension cable is attached, the cable strands and rods show rust.
:snip:
“The implications are structural – and very serious,” said Astaneh, referring to the lifespan of the bridge.“This bridge is fracture critical, which means if any important element of this bridge fails ... the bridge is going to collapse.”
:snip:
On the new Bay Bridge, the main cable is anchored to the bridge itself, and sockets are suspended in the middle of each chamber, rather than behind a steel plate. Due to this design, the strands and sockets move a fraction of an inch each time a truck passes overhead, thousands of times every day. Such movements are evident inside the chamber.
“It’s like you made a machine to study the fatigue behavior of the cable,” Astaneh said, comparing it to hammering the junction of the strands and sockets seven times every minute.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Look for the union label.
“Look for the union label.”
I’m far from being a fan of unions (e.g., NOT ONE car of the dozen or so I’ve bought new, was made by the UAW, and for that reason), but I suspect there is a LOT MORE blame to go around on this one.
When it comes to building a bridge, the unions (at least labor unions) do what they’re told and what they’re given. If they’re given “environmentally friendly” paint to use, that’s what they use. If they’re given an application process that doesn’t include primer, they don’t use it.
If the designers and engineers involved in that project happen to “look like America” rather than be qualified, you get bridges that rust apart. That is where to look.
And continuing on my rant - I suspect that if you talked to the union boys (at least the few with a brain), they might be able to tell you the IDIOTIC DECISIONS involved in the bridge (once you get through their anti-America and anti-corporate lectures) - depending on where the screw-ups are. If the wrong steel was specified, they may not know, but if they’re not applying paint correctly, they may well know.
Or it could fake certifications of materials again like all that cheaper Asian crap we had to deal with 30 years ago.
Wasn’t this the bridge where most of the parts were shipped in from China?
Agree...weird though, this may be FIRST TIME in my life that I’ve defended unions. I feel funny.
Most of the steel used was bought from China........plus quite a few Chinese workers were brought over here to do some of the bridge work
Stupid is a stupid does. Couple this with no median barriers on their interstates and Cali is looking really bad.
"...the massive cable, key sections of the iconic tower and deck were all made in China"And the cables aren't the 1st problem arising in the bridge's chinese built part. The welds and joints have already proven to be defective:
"Bay Bridge designer warned Caltrans in 1910 of weld weakness" - 2/25/2014
"...the massive cable, key sections of the iconic tower and deck were all made in China"And the cables aren't the 1st problem arising in the bridge's chinese built part. The welds and joints have already proven to be defective:
"Bay Bridge designer warned Caltrans in 1910 of weld weakness" - 2/25/2014
China sold us a bridge...
Made with high quarity chinese steer.
I was living in CA when this bridge was being built. There was an contractor who was working on it on a radio show. He said they could of saved a lot of money by using a more conventional design. The powers to be said no because the East Bay politicians have an inferiority complex and wanted a nice bridge just like the SF side. He responded that they could still build the suspension tower but it would be just a decorative item. They still said no and it looks like big problems for this critical structural element.
Steer? Steer shouldn’t rust. Still not much good for building material.
So, another suspension bridge in the Bay Area that was designed and built in the 1930’s, is going to outlast a suspension bridge designed and built in the 21st century?
Freak’n amazing!
At one time people in this country cared about quality workmanship.
How did the strong unions in Cali let that happen? On a govt funded job? Wow....
My mistake!! Hundreds of Chinese workers labored on the bridge parts in China. The parts were assembled into the Bay Bridge here by Americans etc not Chinese brought over here
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