Thoughts and Prayers for people hurt by the UniversityCityBridge collapse

[baseline bum]

https://www.facebook.com/WeAreMCM/posts/1861601360530495

https://image.ibb.co/bDiHuc/thoughts_and_prayers.png

[boutons_deux]

what went wrong?

Munilla's shitty engineers, and cost-cutting accountants, most probably.

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/fiu-bridge-collapse-construction-firms-accused-of-unsafe-practices-10176596

[CosmicCowboy]

Its pretty clear some engineers fucked up.

[Reck]

Why are they talking like they're not in deep shit? Forget the compensation to the family, these idiots may face criminal charges pending an investigation.

:lol Accelerated Bridge construction.

[TeyshaBlue]

It wasn't even finished. They had just finished a stress test and where loosening support cables when it collapsed. The main supporting central tower hadn't even been put in place yet.

[CosmicCowboy]

It wasn't even finished. They had just finished a stress test and where loosening support cables when it collapsed. The main supporting central tower hadn't even been put in place yet.
Im pretty sure the "central column missing" is fake news. It was obviously designed as a clear span truss. Since this was obviously made of pre-stressed concrete (using cables in plastic sleeves hydraulically stretched to provide tension) my guess the "stress test" they were talking about was them going back and snubbing up the cables after installation. Failure probably started with a cable snapping or a cathead failing.

[CosmicCowboy]

I built hundreds of homes using pre-stressed concrete slabs as a construction superintendent after I got out of college. Cable failure or blowouts, although rare, happened. Not a big deal with a slab supported by the ground until it could be repaired. It would be catastrophic on a clear span truss design like this one.

[CosmicCowboy]

They were probably Chinese cables that the CIA sabotaged. Cosmored will be posting walls of text soon.

[The Gemini Method]

I'm curious as to why they didn't at least temporarily block off the street while doing the stress test? I remember the Minnesota bridge collapse a few years back. did they ever find a culpable reasoning for that? Sad to hear.

[CosmicCowboy]

I'm curious as to why they didn't at least temporarily block off the street while doing the stress test? I remember the Minnesota bridge collapse a few years back. did they ever find a culpable reasoning for that? Sad to hear.

Minnesota was a design flaw in the steel trusses. The gusset splice plates between beams were under sized.

[The Gemini Method]

Minnesota was a design flaw in the steel trusses. The gusset splice plates between beams were under sized. Thanks. I just read up on it. Crazy. I stil get a little sketch when I'm on the St. Thomas Bridge here in SoCal. That thing is a suspension bridge and it's just immense.

[TeyshaBlue]

Im pretty sure the "central column missing" is fake news. It was obviously designed as a clear span truss. Since this was obviously made of pre-stressed concrete (using cables in plastic sleeves hydraulically stretched to provide tension) my guess the "stress test" they were talking about was them going back and snubbing up the cables after installation. Failure probably started with a cable snapping or a cathead failing.

No, the column is a central design element. The stress test was a weight test and measuring stresses of the cabling. Don't know why they would do that using temporary supports. Makes no sense.

[TeyshaBlue]

Minnesota was a design flaw in the steel trusses. The gusset splice plates between beams were under sized.

1/2" too thin by specs from what I've read.

[CosmicCowboy]

No, the column is a central design element. The stress test was a weight test and measuring stresses of the cabling. Don't know why they would do that using temporary supports. Makes no sense.

Looking further, we are both right. There was never going to be a column in the middle of the span that collapsed but there was supposed to be a column at one end of it (which would be the center of the total span, the other half not in place yet) but there would be support cables for each span anchored by the missing column.

[CosmicCowboy]

USA today has a cross section diagram and a rendering. What a fuckup.

[spurraider21]

USA today has a cross section diagram and a rendering. What a fuckup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1Rsov4B_VI

[pgardn]

I built hundreds of homes using pre-stressed concrete slabs as a construction superintendent after I got out of college. Cable failure or blowouts, although rare, happened. Not a big deal with a slab supported by the ground until it could be repaired. It would be catastrophic on a clear span truss design like this one.

They should have never removed the supports from the bottom until the central tower was in place and those cables in place and tightened. The thought they would "show off" by making it seem like it could act as a truss bridge (they clearly thought it could) They wanted that traffic flowing ASAP to show that the whole method could work, their so called ABC method. FIU had a big write up about the small amount of disruption to normal (traffic) affairs.

http://i68.tinypic.com/2z51z0h.jpg

They removed the red supports below...

[Nathan89]

Goodness now we'll have walkouts to ban bridges. Think of the kids.:lol

[pgardn]

Goodness now we'll have walkouts to ban bridges. Think of the kids.:lol

Interesting side note.
That thing was so massive they were going to have study pavilions, food, hanging out, etc... For the FIU kids.

Side note to side note: rmt, glad your okay. Damn...

[rmt]

Interesting side note.
That thing was so massive they were going to have study pavilions, food, hanging out, etc... For the FIU kids.

Side note to side note: rmt, glad your okay. Damn...

Thanks - this is causing major traffic problems with 8th Street Turnpike exits shut down. To compound it our annual Youth Fair is going on at FIU grounds - lasts 3 1/2 weeks. Two of the 4 major entrances (north and east) to FIU closed.

[pgardn]

Thanks - this is causing major traffic problems with 8th Street Turnpike exits shut down. To compound it our annual Youth Fair is going on at FIU grounds - lasts 3 1/2 weeks. Two of the 4 major entrances (north and east) to FIU closed.

Traffic smaffic.

You are alive.

[CosmicCowboy]

Im pretty sure the "central column missing" is fake news. It was obviously designed as a clear span truss. Since this was obviously made of pre-stressed concrete (using cables in plastic sleeves hydraulically stretched to provide tension) my guess the "stress test" they were talking about was them going back and snubbing up the cables after installation. Failure probably started with a cable snapping or a cathead failing.

In the video you can see workers kneeling down on the left side of the bridge exactly where it broke first. Still looks like a cable failure while stressing it.

[CosmicCowboy]

After looking at it again you can even see the truss tendon blowing out before the bridge fell.

[dabom]

Goodness now we'll have walkouts to ban bridges. Think of the kids.:lol

There's lots of codes and guidelines and checks and balances so shit like this is rare. If that was applied to guns. :lol

[CosmicCowboy]

More and more it looks like the construction company blew it. Like I said previously cable failures while stressing them happen. No way they should have been doing it with traffic driving underneath. They probably did it to avoid the added cost.

[Blake]

More and more it looks like the construction company blew it. Like I said previously cable failures while stressing them happen. No way they should have been doing it with traffic driving underneath. They probably did it to avoid the added cost.

Gosh great expert insight

[CosmicCowboy]

Gosh great expert insight

You're welcome.