Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 21 views

    The Quebec Bridge Collapse August 29, 1907

    Uploaded by

    dngu022
    The Quebec Bridge collapse occurred on August 29, 1907 during construction. Theodore Cooper, the head engineer, made design changes without proper testing, increasing the bridge span and allowable unit stresses. During construction, the actual weight far exceeded estimates. In the weeks before collapse, deflection in bridge components increased sharply but work continued. On the day of collapse, the bridge fell while under construction, killing 75 of the 86 workers on site. An investigation found the failure was due to defective design by Theodore Cooper.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content

    You might also like

    The Quebec Bridge Collapse August 29, 1907

    Uploaded by

    dngu022
    21 views12 pages
    The Quebec Bridge collapse occurred on August 29, 1907 during construction. Theodore Cooper, the head engineer, made design changes without proper testing, increasing the bridge span and allowable unit stresses. During construction, the actual weight far exceeded estimates. In the weeks before collapse, deflection in bridge components increased sharply but work continued. On the day of collapse, the bridge fell while under construction, killing 75 of the 86 workers on site. An investigation found the failure was due to defective design by Theodore Cooper.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    Quebec Bridge

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    The Quebec Bridge collapse occurred on August 29, 1907 during construction. Theodore Cooper, the head engineer, made design changes without proper testing, increasing the bridge span and allowable unit stresses. During construction, the actual weight far exceeded estimates. In the weeks before collapse, deflection in bridge components increased sharply but work continued. On the day of collapse, the bridge fell while under construction, killing 75 of the 86 workers on site. An investigation found the failure was due to defective design by Theodore Cooper.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    21 views12 pages

    The Quebec Bridge Collapse August 29, 1907

    Uploaded by

    dngu022
    The Quebec Bridge collapse occurred on August 29, 1907 during construction. Theodore Cooper, the head engineer, made design changes without proper testing, increasing the bridge span and allowable unit stresses. During construction, the actual weight far exceeded estimates. In the weeks before collapse, deflection in bridge components increased sharply but work continued. On the day of collapse, the bridge fell while under construction, killing 75 of the 86 workers on site. An investigation found the failure was due to defective design by Theodore Cooper.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 12

    The Quebec Bridge Collapse

    August 29, 1907

    By: Dan Ford


    Purpose for the bridge

    – The St. Lawrence River became a barrier


    to east-west transportation
    – Montreal’s success was appealing
    – So in 1887, the Quebec Bridge Company
    was formed
    The Hired Help
     The Phoenix Bridge Company of
    Phoenixville, Pennsylvania was given the
    contract
     The Head Engineer of the project was
    Theodore Cooper
    - One of the most respected bridge builders
    at the time
    The Original Design
     Cantilever superstructure with two main
    supports placed 1600 feet apart
     Weighed a total of 62 million pounds
     Cooper said that this would be the best and
    cheapest plan and proposal
    A Change in Plans
     Before construction was to begin Cooper
    lengthened the span from 1600 ft to 1800 ft
     He also modified specifications that would
    allow for higher unit stresses
     There was no preliminary tests or research
    studies conducted to check these design
    changes
    Construction
     Erection of the superstructure got underway
    in the summer of 1904
     Due to Cooper’s health issues he only
    visited the site of the bridge 3 times
     This left a lack of authority on the
    construction site
    Troubles During Construction
     The actual weight of steel put into the bridge had
    far exceeded the original weight
     compressive chords 7-L and 8-L of the south
    cantilever arm were bent
     On August 27, 1907, it was reported that the
    deflection in chord 9-L had increased from three-
    quarters of an inch out of line to two and one-
    quarter inches in just a weeks time
     Yet construction continued!!
    The Collapse: August 29, 1907
    Reasons for failure
     Financial troubles with the Quebec
    Company
    - Inaccurate theoretical estimates of the
    bridge's weight
    - Unchecked changes i.e. Cooper’s high-
    regard
    The Aftermath
     Of the 86 men who were still on the bridge
    at the time of the collapse only 11 survived
     The Royal Commission attributed the
    failure to defective design and errors in the
    judgment of Theodore Cooper
     Cooper’s career ended, and as a result he
    retired from public life and died in his home
    on August 24, 1919, at the age of eighty.
    The End

    You might also like