A Comprehensive List of Engineering Disasters

Engineering disasters occur because of flaws in design, human error, and certain uncontrollable situations. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred because of deficiencies in the design and not sticking to guidelines. On the other hand, the World Trade Center's internal structure failure was not because of debris load, but the collapse was caused by fire alone. While constructing a building, tunnel, or a bridge, engineers always plan and design considering few important aspects that could affect the engineering structure in the real-time. For instance, a bridge would be designed considering traffic density for the next ten or fifteen years, earthquake loads, and hydrostatic pressure. Now it is not possible for a human mind to plan and design for unseen situations that might arrive in the future. No one would have expected the World Trade Center to collapse because of excessive heating despite the presence of fireproof systems well in place. Through this guide to engineering disasters, we will discuss some of the not so popular engineering disasters of the recent times and look also at recorded human responses when things suddenly go badly wrong.

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Highway Construction & Engineering

Highways connect two or more places and ensure that industries, employment, and development follow. Bridges, traffic lights, pavements, bike paths, and lane dividers make up a safe highway. Modern highways are known for their high capacity, efficiency, and planned construction. Highway networks are very important for the growth of a region. Highways open new trade routes and almost every industrial region in the world is connected to the major highway network system of that particular country.

The topics collected in this guide will help you understand much of the terminology and theory of modern day highway engineering and construction. By using the links in the following sections, we will learn about different aspects of highway construction, design, and planning. We begin with the history of highway construction and the major changes highway construction has undergone up to this point.

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When Stress Is Bad: Forensic Structural Engineering

A more recent, and possibly the first, well-documented example of complete structural failure analysis resulted from the 1847 collapse of the Dee River railroad bridge in England. It was built using cast iron main girders between spans with wrought iron supports. After extra ballast had been applied to the track across the bridge as a precautionary measure against timber fires, one of the spans collapsed under a passing train causing injuries and fatalities.

The incident initiated a review process which is generally followed by forensic engineers to this day: an investigation was performed by a lead engineer who examined the site of the failure, collected materials, performed testing and analyses, reviewed witness statements, recreated events, and formulated a report attributing causation of the structural failure. And like modern investigations today, the failure analysis was not conclusive, but was able to determine probable cause. The design was deemed defective allowing fatigue failure of a cast iron beam, exacerbated from the weight of the extra ballast which had been applied only a few hours prior to the collapse. The wrought iron supports did not strengthen the structure as intended due their poor design implementation in the structure. Testing of the materials showed cast and wrought iron was prone to fatigue cracking failure, calling into question its use on other bridges and structures. Finally, continued failure of bridges and other structures using cast and wrought iron led to the development of high strength steels and other alternative materials.

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Engineering the Euro Tunnel

Since the Channel Tunnel was the first of its sort in the transport industry, it required a detailed study to achieve essential safety requirements. A detailed qualitative and a quantitative analysis, involving experts from all fields, were carried out regarding the complete project. The studies involved tests on fire detection equipment, smoke control, evacuation procedures, and several other systems involved in the venture. Multiple communication systems were installed for contact between the railway control center and the trains, and between the passengers and the shuttle crew. All the systems were thoroughly integrated, and checked for effectiveness. Communications are an important safety characteristic when operating under such unique conditions.

In 1996, one train going towards France caught fire and the accident inflicted heavy damage to the services of the tunnel. About 500 meter of the track had to be replaced. In 2008, another fire accident occurred and it cost 60 million pounds to repair the tunnel. It remained closed down for quite some time and safety features of the tunnel were criticized by people all over the world. These two accidents forced the authorities on both sides to improve their safety arrangements.

The Chunnel Tunnel incorporates advanced safety features, some of them are listed here.

Flood prevention systems are installed in and outside the tunnel, quick water drainage ensures uninterrupted transportation.Remotely controlled pressurized butterfly valves link the two running tunnels with each other ensuring safe passage and avoid risks of closing down. The service tunnel supports normal ventilation system, which ensures normal air pressure in the running tunnel. The traction system is divided into sections of 1,500 meters in length, which can be remotely switched to isolate failed sections and ensure uninterrupted services.Fire Equipment Management Centers (FEMC) are managed by both the countries on both sides of the tunnel to keep a check on fire hazards.

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Architecture in Civil Engineering

The primary focus of an architect remains on the aesthetic appearance of a building. Architecture is closely related to Civil Engineering, and as recently as a few decades ago, there were no architects as a separate profession at all. Properly implemented concepts of architecture ensure that a building is not just strong, but that it looks good and takes care of the comfort of the inhabitants as well. A civil engineer need not bother about the looks, design, in-house lighting, greenery, and other things when an architect is around. That leaves him with the primary job of making a building stable and strong. Other than mastering the concepts of architecture, an architect is supposed to have a basic knowledge of structural engineering as well.

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The Engineering Story of Millau Viaduct

The Millau Viaduct was designed by structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster. It forms part of the A75 autoroute from Clermont-Ferrand to Pézenas and links two limestone plateaus, called the Causse du Larzac and the Causse Rouge. It was formally opened on December 16, 2004, much to the applause of motorists and local residents. Prior to the construction of the viaduct, crossing of the Tarn River had to be made by a bridge at the bottom of the valley. During heavy traffic periods, motorist would sometimes wait for hours in traffic congestion to make the crossing. The Effage group was contracted to construct the bridge and also operates it today. Under the government agreement that the company holds, tolls can be collected for crossing the bridge for up to 75 years.

It took fourteen years of research and three years of construction for the Millau Viaduct project to become a reality. The geography and weather conditions in the region made it very difficult for the engineers involved. The finished viaduct is constructed of an eight-span steel roadway which is supported by seven concrete pylons. The pylons, including temporary ones, were assembled first. Once they were in place the roadway was slid across the pylon from both sides by hydraulic rams. Finally, the masts were erected on top of the pylons and connected to the deck. When the connections were completed, the temporary pylons were removed.

Before the construction of the viaduct, no building site ever used such a mixture of technologies in one location. Lasers, GPS, sliders, self-climbing formwork, high performance concrete, and other advanced materials all made the final bridge possible. In total, the project used 127,000 cubic meters of concrete, 19,000 metric tons of steel, and 5,000 metric tons of pre-stressed steel for the cables. The construction of the bridge cost €394 million. The viaduct has been a complete success and has even become a tourist attraction in its own right. In 2008, 4,670,449 vehicles crossed the Millau Viaduct. The bridge will provide motorists to the area a spectacular view and a quick journey for the foreseeable future. The contractor claims that the bridge's lifespan will be at least 120 years.

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15 Amazing Civil Engineering Feats

Ever since people transitioned from hunter gatherers to farming the quest to build bigger and better structures has been going on. From the ancient pyramids at Giza to the modern day International Space Station, these structures represent the pinnacle of human engineering achievement.

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Fluid Mechanics/Hydraulics in Civil Engineering

For open channel flow, a free liquid surface is open to atmospheric pressure, so the driving force for flow is gravity, rather than a pressure difference as in pipe flow. Examples of open channel flow include flow in rivers and streams, in storm sewers, in arroyos and irrigation channels, and in man-made open channels such as those used in wastewater treatment plants. Uniform open channel flow occurs when a constant flow rate passes through a channel with constant bottom slope, constant surface roughness, and constant shape and size. These articles center on the use of the Manning equation for uniform open channel flow, including calculation of the hydraulic radius, determination of the flow rate in a given channel at a given depth of flow and determination of the normal depth of flow, for a given channel and flow rate. There are articles on natural channel calculations and articles that emphasize calculations for man-made channels.

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Test Your Civil Engineering Skills

Just like any other science, Civil Engineering, too, is evolving. Concrete is no longer coarse and made of fine aggregates only. Similarly engineering materials are not restricted to cement and steel. Challenge yourself with this short quiz and find out how much you know about Civil Engineering.

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