Way to go fellas.
Newly released Caltrans documents reveal there were quality-control problems with hundreds of the steel rods and bolts installed on the new Bay Bridge eastern span, including one batch that was improperly treated with brake cleaner and another with an aerosol product called Zinc-It.
Caltrans released the documents Friday in response to media inquiries made after 32 high-strength rods that had been coated in zinc - a process known as galvanization - cracked in March.
The rods had been made brittle by hydrogen, which can seep into steel either during galvanization or when it is installed in a moist environment such as San Francisco Bay.
More than 2,000 additional rods and bolts installed on the bridge also were galvanized and made of high-strength steel, raising integrity questions that have jeopardized Caltrans' plans to open the bridge to traffic Sept. 3.
The breakdowns revealed in the newly released documents occurred in various phases of production. The rods and bolts were to be used throughout the bridge, including to bind the cables together, to anchor the tower, to hold down seismic stabilization structures and to tie cables to the anchorages.
more doityourselfengineering
Caltrans documents tell of Bay Bridge woes - SFGate
Newly released Caltrans documents reveal there were quality-control problems with hundreds of the steel rods and bolts installed on the new Bay Bridge eastern span, including one batch that was improperly treated with brake cleaner and another with an aerosol product called Zinc-It.
Caltrans released the documents Friday in response to media inquiries made after 32 high-strength rods that had been coated in zinc - a process known as galvanization - cracked in March.
The rods had been made brittle by hydrogen, which can seep into steel either during galvanization or when it is installed in a moist environment such as San Francisco Bay.
More than 2,000 additional rods and bolts installed on the bridge also were galvanized and made of high-strength steel, raising integrity questions that have jeopardized Caltrans' plans to open the bridge to traffic Sept. 3.
The breakdowns revealed in the newly released documents occurred in various phases of production. The rods and bolts were to be used throughout the bridge, including to bind the cables together, to anchor the tower, to hold down seismic stabilization structures and to tie cables to the anchorages.
more doityourselfengineering
Caltrans documents tell of Bay Bridge woes - SFGate
