Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Bad glue

From the Boston Globe: "Fast-drying epoxy used in Big Dig let bolts slip over time"

Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board said today that part of a Big Dig tunnel collapsed a year ago because the wrong epoxy was used to secure the ceiling, allowing bolts to slip or "creep" over time.
Honestly, I can't see the justification to using epoxy at all. If you're going to hold up heavy tiles, a bolt is better (risk of shear) but a cross-connection is best (risk of fracture). But epoxy? You're just crossing your fingers it doesn't deteriorate over time.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:26 AM

    And the panels could have been much lighter. My understanding is that they were strictly cosmetic (not structural).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:44 AM

    They realy should have used CRAZY GLUE or GORILLA GLUE

    ReplyDelete