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Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

wbaltv.com

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Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#81

Post by _giorgio_ »

TaylorAlexander wrote: post #66

Somehow I find it surprising how completely the bridge collapsed after the damage. I understand that a container ship collision is serious, but you could imagine a scenarios where the bridge slumps or buckles but doesn’t just disintegrate like that. It’s surprising that ships capable of doing this damage were probably regularly driving past it, and its safety as a thoroughfare depended entirely on those collisions no…

The problem is the static scheme of the bridge.

Most modern bridges are hyperstatic: if you remove one support, it still stands.

Or at least isostatic: you remove one support or one span, and nothing happens to the nearest ones.

This bridge was ill conceived: you remove one support or span, and it brings down everything like a chain that pulls down everything it's linked to.

It's bad because the "engineer" just wanted to show off.

Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#82

Post by mkl »

TaylorAlexander wrote: post #66

Somehow I find it surprising how completely the bridge collapsed after the damage. I understand that a container ship collision is serious, but you could imagine a scenarios where the bridge slumps or buckles but doesn’t just disintegrate like that. It’s surprising that ships capable of doing this damage were probably regularly driving past it, and its safety as a thoroughfare depended entirely on those collisions no…

Not all bridges are this vulnerable to a single impact. This one, opened 12 years earlier, has a different style and mostly survived a cargo ship impact: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasman_Bridge_disaster

Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#83

Post by Reason077 »

makach wrote: post #70
TaylorAlexander wrote: post #66

Somehow I find it surprising how completely the bridge collapsed after the damage. I understand that a container ship collision is serious, but you could imagine a scenarios where the bridge slumps or buckles but doesn’t just disintegrate like that. It’s surprising that ships capable of doing this damage were probably regularly driving past it, and its safety as a thoroughfare depended entirely on those collisions no…

Modern bridges are required to endure a collision. This bridge might be very old and not sufficiently maintained against current requirements.

It opened in 1977. So, oldish, but not that old. Plenty of far older bridges around than that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_(Balt...

Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#84

Post by boomboomsubban »

wannacboatmovie wrote: post #15
ks2048 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Already roughly 75 edits since the collapse.

It makes me wonder what goes through someone's head when one sees a mass casualty event like this, and your first instinct is to rush to Wikipedia to change the article to past tense ('was' a bridge).

"I know nothing about this bridge, let's check Wikipedia. Oh, I guess 'is a bridge' is now incorrect, I'm already here so let's change it."

Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#85

Post by hgomersall »

makach wrote: post #70
TaylorAlexander wrote: post #66

Somehow I find it surprising how completely the bridge collapsed after the damage. I understand that a container ship collision is serious, but you could imagine a scenarios where the bridge slumps or buckles but doesn’t just disintegrate like that. It’s surprising that ships capable of doing this damage were probably regularly driving past it, and its safety as a thoroughfare depended entirely on those collisions no…

Modern bridges are required to endure a collision. This bridge might be very old and not sufficiently maintained against current requirements.

I'm not sure how many brand new bridges would stay up after having one of the piers on the main span removed.

Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#86

Post by lukan »

giraffe_lady wrote: post #68
laverya wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These two things can happen in parallel, unless we need to change how we design bridges to account for being rammed by neopanamax ships.

We might want to consider it yeah.

Yes, some things can be probably improved, but making a bridge really resistant to a crash with a big ship would likely make it astronomically expensive.

Maybe that at least not the whole bridge collapses, when something in the middle gets struck.

Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#87

Post by cmcaleer »

fransje26 wrote: post #55
wannacboatmovie wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Judging by the footage with the bridge being over water and the temperature in Baltimore near freezing, I would guess no they are not. The outcome of this is going to be very unpleasant.

"Luckily" this was not during rush-hour..

Unluckily it was at night, so an already disorienting situation is going to be harder and any already difficult rescue is going to be hampered further. It will be a miracle if any meaningful % of those who fell in the water survived.

Re: Baltimore's Key Bridge struck by cargo ship, collapses

#88

Post by tomlong »

fransje26 wrote: post #60
Symbiote wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alternative (registration wall, I think). https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/mar/26/baltimo...

No, you can click on "I'll do it later" to bypass it.

I think this is region dependent
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