Baltimore Bridge Collapse

[Ed Vette]

Even before taking advanced engineering courses, I learned that the strongest way to build a race car cage, or horizontal beams (like a gantry), construction cranes, trusses, etc., was to use "triangles", that give it incredible strength. I was taught that as a teen when I worked with a stock car driver and we were building a cage around the driver. Ever notice overhead signs over multi-lane highways are nothing more than an enormous number of triangles? https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounders/why-a-triangle-a-strong-shape

The first thing I noticed on the Baltimore Bridge was the "H-Shaped" foundations that struck me as an engineering flaw

Something ancient Egyptians or whoever built the pyramids knew.

[MightyGiants]

If anyone is interested, here is a report on the protection used on the Sunshine Bridge that Ric posted


https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=bse-re-003:1983:42::52

[MightyGiants]

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Incredible video and commentary. My first thought is the possibility of a terror attack. The big question, "Why did the ship lose all it's electronics just as it entered the underpass?"

One positive note, is that it occurred at about 1:30 AM so the bridge wasn't packed with traffic. What a nightmare for drivers at that time. I noticed an 18-wheeler that appears to have just made it across in time

The main structure looks to be very strong according to using triangles, but there is only one support for that stretch of overhead. Once that support is gone, it now relies on the "H-Style" supports on both sides of it. Seems to me, anyway, that it is an engineering design mistake

Personally, I don't feel comfortable going across major bridges. There is a bridge over the Susquehanna River between the J.C. traffic circle and Binghamton University. Whenever traffic has stopped, and I'm on the bridge, I can feel myself going up-and-down and back-and-forth. Not a good feeling! I've studied the structure of that bridge and I don't like it

I've read that there are response teams on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge because of people freaking out and can go no further. They find drivers on the floorboard of their cars, sometimes in a fetal position praying their hearts out. They have to be rescued. Happens several times a week I guess. I've been over that bridge multiple times and it doesn't bother me. The tunnel portion is something that I fret about though because you can't see the structure of it as it holds back enormous tons of pressure 

[MightyGiants]

Incredible video and commentary. My first thought is the possibility of a terror attack. The big question, "Why did the ship lose all it's electronics just as it entered the underpass?"

One positive note, is that it occurred at about 1:30 AM so the bridge wasn't packed with traffic. What a nightmare for drivers at that time. I noticed an 18-wheeler that appears to have just made it across in time

The main structure looks to be very strong according to using triangles, but there is only one support for that stretch of overhead. Once that support is gone, it now relies on the "H-Style" supports on both sides of it. Seems to me, anyway, that it is an engineering design mistake

Personally, I don't feel comfortable going across major bridges. There is a bridge over the Susquehanna River between the J.C. traffic circle and Binghamton University. Whenever traffic has stopped, and I'm on the bridge, I can feel myself going up-and-down and back-and-forth. Not a good feeling! I've studied the structure of that bridge and I don't like it

I've read that there are response teams on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge because of people freaking out and can go no further. They find drivers on the floorboard of their cars, sometimes in a fetal position praying their hearts out. They have to be rescued. Happens several times a week I guess. I've been over that bridge multiple times and it doesn't bother me. The tunnel portion is something that I fret about though because you can't see the structure of it as it holds back enormous tons of pressure 

Ric,

I understand that a mayday was issued by the ship that it had lost power.  That warning allowed them to shut down traffic before the ship hit (I noticed in the video there didn't appear to be any more vehicles after the truck you mentioned).   I think the causalities were among the work crew that was on the bridge repairing potholes. 

The loss of power wasn't too surprising as the video noted the ship had just been released by the tugs so the engines were powering up.  The fact that the power went on and off strikes me as being a malfunction rather than terrorism.   Plus, in terms of terror attacks, this seems like a really challenging one with a limited chance of payoff (it's possible that even without power, the ship could have missed the bridge). it's not easy to get on these vessels (there is the whole not-in-America immigration thing).

I have heard urban legends of some bridges employing drivers to drive the cars of people too scared to cross.

I am usually too distracted by the bridges and their often awesome scenery to worry about the remote chance of a collapse.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I got thinking about structures of tunnels, and it appears that all tunnels are cylindrical, like the shape of a pipe. Besides the concrete structure, they are reinforced with steel ribs, sorta like whales and their ribs that sometimes go close to 2 miles deep. Makes me feel a little better when driving a mile underwater in the Chesapeake Bay...lol

Doing this for my own benefit as I have a phobia of tunnels and have never researched it. I always thought I'd be afraid to go through the Chunnel from England to France...now, not so much






https://www.businessinsider.com/chesapeake-bay-bridge-tunnel-construction-2017-6

[LennG]

 I cruise out of Baltimore all the time. This will have to affect the cruise industry, at least until they can clear the debris and open the port.

[MightyGiants]

[MightyGiants]

Ignore the comments by the Tweeter, but the video is interesting

https://x.com/Dragonsoul9Fire/status/1772678704935620923?s=20

[LennG]

Not sure if this was already mentioned, but the crew of the ship radioed a Mayday and because of that, people on the bridge closed it to other traffic which saved more lives.

[MightyGiants]

A good article on the whole situation

https://www.yahoo.com/news/know-baltimore-bridge-collapse-170841942.html