Good observation, that the horizontal top "tear" is smooth, and the sides are jagged. What this means usually, is that there was a fatigue crack along the smooth part (due to high repeated tension), and then when the top section gave way the sides quickly broke which gave the jagged appearance. Following this logic, the bottom would also have the jagged appearance.TexasAggie_02 said:
I know nothing about engineering, but I find it interesting that the horizontal tear along the top is smooth, and the vertical tear down the side is jagged.
Could it be possible that someone cut it along the top, and stress caused it to tear down the side?
Cassius said:
Looking at this pic, are there two cracks, where I've drawn the red boxes? The one on the left seems like the crack identified, but on the left, there is a definite offset. How does one fix this? Simply weld it back? Or run a complete new beam across next to the old one?
Captain Positivity said:
It is inspected every two years, not every year.
Nope. Bunch of people swaying in unison instead of alternating rows.Baron Von Flag Smasher said:
Did someone march a band over it, in step? Or did climate change cause the WIO frequency to shift to the resonance frequency of the bridge?
I get that the bridge deck is actually held up by the cabling system but where these cracks are located could cause the cabling system to fail? See this.MouthBQ98 said:
Appears to be near the top of a slight arch in a span. I'd guess that would be where the box beam encounters the most stress. My guess is in other similar points in the bridge are similar stress or fatigue cracks slowly forming, and it needs much closer inspection.
They could probably collar this beam with an over designed collar without having to remove and replace the broken beam entirely, but there's always multiple options, and I'm sure they're going to have to look at doing the same for other similar points in the bridge if they find anything.
blue star for Fast Times at Ridgemont High referenceRacer X said:
My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
MouthBQ98 said:
Note that it didn't move much despite breaking clean through.
Towns03 said:MouthBQ98 said:
Note that it didn't move much despite breaking clean through.
this was my first thought. the beam must serve as a stabilizer but the bridge isn't going to fall down.
Thanks, and good to know. I can feel at least a TINY bit better about crossing the many bridges here in central Arkansas.Captain Positivity said:This rumor does not appear to be true. ARDOT is responsible for inspecting the bridge. Their contracted inspectors are the ones who called to have it shut down after noting the crack. Actually, two different inspectors contracted by ARDOT called Arkansas and Tennessee authorities at the same time to get traffic stopped.Little Rock Ag said:
Rumor has it that ARDOT inspected the bridge and gave it a pass, then TNDOT found the break just a short time later. Way to go Arkansas bridge inspectors....guess someone has to be 50th in the nation.
https://wreg.com/news/frantic-911-calls-from-i-40-bridge-inspectors-reveal-seriousness-of-situation/
(Edited for clarity)
Game day for the Liberty Bowl was not fun, when we went, I can tell you that. Visiting with The Hubs' parents outside of Little Rock and then drove to Memphis for the game and back.Little Rock Ag said:
By the way, I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis was already the highway from hell. I hate, HATE, driving that stretch of boring, busy, and dangerous road.
Yeah, and when you arrive in Memphis, you're thinking, "I drove those 2 hours for THIS???" But, let's face it--driving anywhere east and south in Arkansas is not pleasant. I-530 to Pine Bluff..my goodness, talk about Detroit South.aggiehawg said:Game day for the Liberty Bowl was not fun, when we went, I can tell you that. Visiting with The Hubs' parents outside of Little Rock and then drove to Memphis for the game and back.Little Rock Ag said:
By the way, I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis was already the highway from hell. I hate, HATE, driving that stretch of boring, busy, and dangerous road.
Quote:
Good observation, that the horizontal top "tear" is smooth, and the sides are jagged. What this means usually, is that there was a fatigue crack along the smooth part (due to high repeated tension), and then when the top section gave way the sides quickly broke which gave the jagged appearance. Following this logic, the bottom would also have the jagged appearance.
If only it were that simpleMouthBQ98 said:
Some offshore rig welder could fix that better than new in 48 hours for $10K.
The Feds will spend 2 weeks studying it and 3 months engineering an overly extravagant repair.
Love, love, love Hot Springs, though. We just thought we would spend the night in Hot Springs on our way back to Texas one time. We were having so much fun staying at The Arlington that we stayed on for four more days.Little Rock Ag said:Yeah, and when you arrive in Memphis, you're thinking, "I drove those 2 hours for THIS???" But, let's face it--driving anywhere east and south in Arkansas is not pleasant. I-530 to Pine Bluff..my goodness, talk about Detroit South.aggiehawg said:Game day for the Liberty Bowl was not fun, when we went, I can tell you that. Visiting with The Hubs' parents outside of Little Rock and then drove to Memphis for the game and back.Little Rock Ag said:
By the way, I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis was already the highway from hell. I hate, HATE, driving that stretch of boring, busy, and dangerous road.
That's exactly what I was thinking. Some NDI techs are about to make some serious overtime!fixer said:OnlyForNow said:
That's not a crack, it looks completely broken and shifted.
Yeah not a crack that is an actual failure. Now the rest of the structure has to take that stress... so definitely more indications will be found.
They will have to UT every square inch of that bridge.
Little Rock Ag said:
By the way, I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis was already the highway from hell. I hate, HATE, driving that stretch of boring, busy, and dangerous road.
Quote:
Besides the bridge closure and increasing traffic jams in the area, the US Coast Guard closed a portion of the lower Mississippi River near the bridge. There are "16 vessels with a total of 229 barrages in the queue," the coast guard said in a statement.
Marine Traffic shows barge congestion leading up to the I-40 bridge. The @USCG 8th District reports, so far, 16 vessels, totaling 229 barges, are in the queue right now. @WMCActionNews5 pic.twitter.com/YAS2gXl7Ng
— Parker King (@King_Reports) May 12, 2021
LinkQuote:
When officials were asked when the bridge could reopen, Paul Degges, TDOT Chief Engineer, said, "right now, we don't know the answer to those questions. Certainly, it's plausible that this could be months rather than weeks."
atmtws said:Let's hope hope they use a different engineer than the one that built this:DRE06 said:
China would already be planning a new bridge, would have plans finalized in a week, and would have a new bridge built in 3 weeks.
US will **** this up. 5 years of permit and design reviews.
That's where we are.
MouthBQ98 said:
Could be compression and relaxation from temperature expansion.
MouthBQ98 said:
Some offshore rig welder could fix that better than new in 48 hours for $10K.
The Feds will spend 2 weeks studying it and 3 months engineering an overly extravagant repair.
