Bedford CF-UK Message Board Logo [Home] [Search] [FAQ]
Bedford CF-UK Message Board > General Chat > The Forth road bridge
[Private Message] [Register] [Profile] [Member list] [Log-in]
Who's Online:
There are 0 member(s), and 1 guest(s) online.
 
[Printable Version] [Post Reply]
Author Message
Anon
Deleted
Posts :
Location :
Status    : Offline

The Forth road bridge

Hi to all,

Cut backs in spending and bad deciduous by bridge management bordering on neglect, add to that they all knew the bridge was never built to carry the tonnage that is today traffic and a big increase the lorry sizes and weights.
Add to that the salt air gales and the normal process of steel returning to its ore state.
And it was a gamble that did not pay off!

doujoy

----------------------

Fri 11 Dec 2015 @ 19:08 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Colin Birch
Admin
Posts : 4272
Location : Pontypridd, South Wales
Status    : Offline

When I was working up your way earlier this year I went over the Forth road bridge. I see the pillars were already up for the replacement bridge. I remember watching a programme years ago about the bridge. The support cables are made up of hundreds of small cables spiral wound to make up the large cable. They had found the small cables were snapping. The only cure would be to completely replace the cables. What they did at the time is to fix microphones to the cables to listen for the noise of the snapping small cables and to count them. As you say, when it was designed they didn't plan for the amount and size of the traffic the bridge gets. They had a very similar problem with the Severn bridge. The towers had to be re-inforced with steel girders and tolls removed on the east direction so that traffic wasn't queuing on the bridge. In the end the only answer was the 2nd Severn bridge.

----------------------
Colin Birch - CF-UK Admin
Pontypridd, S.Wales
The Bedford CF Web Site
http://www.cf-uk.co.uk

Fri 11 Dec 2015 @ 22:38 View Colin Birch   Email Colin Birch   Colin Birch Home Page   Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
Deleted
Posts :
Location :
Status    : Offline

Snapping cables.

Hi Colin,

Yes I remember that program, so let's not bother fixing cables that were never designed to coupe with that weight, we will just sit and listen to them snapping!
But as they snap they increase the stress on the rest of the strands causing stretch and increased movement in the steel structure, hence cracking the welds!

doujoy

----------------------

Sat 12 Dec 2015 @ 10:22 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Colin Birch
Admin
Posts : 4272
Location : Pontypridd, South Wales
Status    : Offline

Yet another fine example of 'bury your head in the sand and hope it goes away'. Just like so many things in this country

----------------------
Colin Birch - CF-UK Admin
Pontypridd, S.Wales
The Bedford CF Web Site
http://www.cf-uk.co.uk

Sat 12 Dec 2015 @ 12:05 View Colin Birch   Email Colin Birch   Colin Birch Home Page   Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Time in GMT
[Post Reply]
New posts since your last visit Administrative Functions: Open/Close/Delete Thread / Move Thread
Old post

Forum Jump:

Back to the CF-UK Homepage ][ Email CF-UK

Powered by FunkBoard vCF0.74c