i-40 bridge at Memphis closed due to crack found.

25,986 Views | 234 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by AlaskanAg99
cbr
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Valhalla said:

aggiehawg said:

Another angle.



Right near the center pylon.


Holy **** that a big break. No way is that the only break in that bridge.
no way they shouldnt have caught that crack growing for a long time before that.....
Burdizzo
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Ag with kids said:

aggiehawg said:

Burdizzo said:

A couple of fish plates, some 7018 rods, and a Millet Bobcat welding machine, and she'll be good as new.
Maybe you can't answer this but is it significant that the steel failed away from the rivets, instead of at the rivets???
Yes.

It IS significant.

And I don't know how often they inspect that bridge, but that COMPLETE FAILURE of the steel integrity didn't just happen in a short time.


Actually, I would suggest that the lack of rust staining around the break indicates it happened pretty suddenly


(I am not a structural engineer)
agent-maroon
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I see rust on the crack surface in the OP photos. Maybe they've been painting over the crack so there wasn't any greater surface rust area?
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GiveEmHellBill
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96AgGrad
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aggiehawg said:

96AgGrad said:

They just need to extend that gusset plate a couple feet. That should do'er.
Frankly I am surprised at the number of posters who say dumb crap like that.

Shame on you.
I would trust that most would realize it was tongue-in-cheek.
fixer
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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.
Muy
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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.


Probably hire Bain Consulting to present a regurgitated presentation on industry trends.
EKUAg
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cupcakesprinkles said:




A little to big for Flex Seal. Better get the big bucket of Flex Paste.
Cave Johnson, CEO
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The chord element looks to be a closed off box/tube section so it's possible the crack formed on the interior so it wouldn't have been visible. I'm not familiar if AASHTO specifies Non-destructive testing (NDT) that all DoT's are required to follow but I'm surprised it wasn't caught if the failure was in fact due to an interior crack propagation.
tysker
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that some New Jack City level problems... Damn, crack...
Sea Speed
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96AgGrad said:

aggiehawg said:

96AgGrad said:

They just need to extend that gusset plate a couple feet. That should do'er.
Frankly I am surprised at the number of posters who say dumb crap like that.

Shame on you.
I would trust that most would realize it was tongue-in-cheek.


I'm amazed that anyone would think the author of that post was serious. Shame on them.
CDUB98
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OnlyForNow said:

That's not a crack, it looks completely broken and shifted.


Ya think?
SPF250
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Look closely at the pics in the OP. In the first pic showing the rivet plate, the section with the rivet plate is shifted toward the outside of the span. In the next view, from above, the section with the rivet plate is shifted toward the inside. Ostensibly the pictures were taken within a few minutes of each other. That's a lot of movement in a short amount of time.
DifferenceMaker Ag
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Just jack a new beam into place, throw some rivets into it and then slap on some paint. What's the big deal?
Ag with kids
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Burdizzo said:

Ag with kids said:

aggiehawg said:

Burdizzo said:

A couple of fish plates, some 7018 rods, and a Millet Bobcat welding machine, and she'll be good as new.
Maybe you can't answer this but is it significant that the steel failed away from the rivets, instead of at the rivets???
Yes.

It IS significant.

And I don't know how often they inspect that bridge, but that COMPLETE FAILURE of the steel integrity didn't just happen in a short time.


Actually, I would suggest that the lack of rust staining around the break indicates it happened pretty suddenly


(I am not a structural engineer)
(I am not a structural engineer either)

However, I AM an Aero.

A break where there's no stress points (like rivets,etc) isn't something that usually just "happens" suddenly.

I don't doubt that the actual FRACTURE occurred quickly. But the underlying causes for that fracture have probably been there for quite a while.
milner79
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Bridge Lacerations Matter.
TexasAggie_02
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TexasRebel
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I'm wondering what the inside of that tube looks like.

Corrosion over the years could do something like that.

Add in a boat strike or an earthquake

May some Civil Engineering prof wanted to demonstrate a practical "find the stress in the over constrained cord with settling" problem.
Ag with kids
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TexasRebel said:

I'm wondering what the inside of that tube looks like.

Corrosion over the years could do something like that.

Add in a boat strike or an earthquake

May some Civil Engineering prof wanted to demonstrate a practical "find the stress in the over constrained cord with settling" problem.
DING DING DING!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
TexasAggie_02
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https://wreg.com/news/frantic-911-calls-from-i-40-bridge-inspectors-reveal-seriousness-of-situation/
TexasAggie_02
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This bridge is apparently inspected annually

https://wreg.com/news/how-inspectors-rated-the-i-40-bridge-before-fracture-shut-it-down/
DRE06
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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.
Atreides Ornithopter
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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?
TexasAggie_02
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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?
BBRex
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Gator92 said:

BQ_90 said:

Biz Ag said:


if you're gonna fix it, fix it right


Once patched a lower unit w/ JB and a beer can. True story.


How fast can you get to Memphis?
Pookers
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I hear those feminist bridge builders from Florida are available.
Atreides Ornithopter
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I would believe it is the other way. The flaw or cut would be the jagged edge and the clean shear plane is where it snapped. But for the inspectors to miss it, I would expect the original flaw is on the opposite side of this beam where it would be the hardest to see.
Not a Bot
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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.
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.

https://wreg.com/news/frantic-911-calls-from-i-40-bridge-inspectors-reveal-seriousness-of-situation/

(Edited for clarity)
GigemKW
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Tex100 said:

Drove over that bridge last week.


You put on some lbs during covid?
flakrat
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TexasAggie_02 said:

This bridge is apparently inspected annually

https://wreg.com/news/how-inspectors-rated-the-i-40-bridge-before-fracture-shut-it-down/
Uh oh, someone is about to get fooked
agent-maroon
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Baron Von Flag Smasher said:

I would believe it is the other way. The flaw or cut would be the jagged edge and the clean shear plane is where it snapped. But for the inspectors to miss it, I would expect the original flaw is on the opposite side of this beam where it would be the hardest to see.

If it was a fatigue crack that grew to a critical size and then fractured it would be the opposite. The smooth "clean" surface would be where the crack initiated and grew under many tension/compression cycles. The jagged edge would be the sudden catastrophic fracture surface.

Here's a schematic for illustration:


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Not a Bot
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It is inspected every two years, not every year.
Earl_Rudder
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cupcakesprinkles said:


atmtws
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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.
Let's hope hope they use a different engineer than the one that built this:

WBBQ74
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I wonder if this makes the cover of next month's ASCE magazine?
 
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