Another bridge bites the dust

A little more info on that bridge.

Watching that bus cross that bridge I almost threw up a little! Yikes!

Out here in western Washington state in "Pugetopolis" they revised the weight limit lower to current bridges out here last year. The one bridge going across the Elwha River from Port Angeles to Forks WA on Hwy 101 has monitors on it to see if it moves 3 centimeters since the pylons weren't put down to the bedrock and the river was once dammed up and now running wild, so now it's sinking. Now they are trying after over 100 years to replace the bridge one day, I cringe going across it even though it doesn't buckle on weight, not just from it possibly sinking but from any earthquake may strike at any moment.
https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/nature/elwha-ecosystem-restoration.htm

Truck Shop said:

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Almost made it. Didn't take like a year to machine those pieces that were destroyed?

At times Two years with another year Lead Time. Coupling Failure, UGLY!!

Just bend those bent fins back close it'll only vibrate a bit!

Entergy nuke plant down in Arkansas, had a similar incident back in 2013. Temporary overhead built to handle 525 tons didn't perform as expected. One death and 8 others hurt.

I found the engineering documents interesting. I've read numerous incidents, where one engineering firm designs something, another firm "oversees" the design, and I'm sure charges for it. Then something happens and the "overseeing" engineering firm is "well we didn't really look at the drawings" because "well, they are really complicated".





https://www.osha.gov/doc/engineering/pdf/2013_r_04.pdf

The Bigge incident hit all the nukes safety programs hard, we had HOURS of semi productive discussions and classroom on what occurred. They used a tried but dangerous method to move the stator assembly from its nest in the building floor to a Railway access portal at grade. Our turbine was similar in that was 60' above grade so the condenser system beneath the turbine did not require being 50' underground.

When these were constructed they used two turbine building cranes in tandem connection to install the Stators, after construction the cranes were DERATED to 2/3 original value and were not allowed to re rate back to as built nor operate in tandem thus the departure rigging.

Ours were 220 Ton Posted Limit each. This from one to the other. The two large Gray Humps in the bottom of the photo was our Stator. Bottom Photo the 'Truck Bay' handrail has Blue FME Cloth on it.

As a Side note, Turbine sitting to the right, final stage Blading is 14' Diameter, 154t assembly x 3 for the Low Pressure Turbine. Whiting Cranes.

Truck Shop said:

Yeah-you are part of our family/or a valuable team member-crap is right John. I would change that to 44 to 62, and most of those have been able to settle themselves out in a job
that's steady. Most anyone from 40 down to 24 are job jumpers. I wouldn't include ages 18 to 24 because most are still trying to figure out how to open a beer can or bottle without
using any energy. As far a the term tradesman goes that's a term you and I use and it's old school. The Term tech now that's a term that's way over used. A fancy term that's been
applied to every job there is and still it defines no skill. Used to make people think they are more important at work with a low pay job.

A tradesman covers the old school-cabinet builders, stem fitters, high steel, tool and die machinist, Mechanic-auto-truck-tractor-heavy. You were in the trade and stuck with it.

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There's a few of us pups out there dont lump me in with 99 percent of people my age please. Tho I am offen mistaken for being older. Makes me a bit mad in a way.

Similarly we at the Nuke were called Plant Roving Equipment Operator, we adjust maneuvered, dialed on or off systems the control room had no remote controls of. We set Workman's protection and restored from repairs/protection while at power. So we were plant operators, the Maintenance goons Welders, Fitters, Electricians, Machinists(Tradesmen) were unhappy as we were getting the Same level of pay as their base(They got a premium for retaining Certs) where the Operations Staff was asking for a Raise due to our necessity to understand the Entire Plant not just certain aspects. The Company came in and renamed us all 'Technicians' where that fixed everything to them but changed no money values. Began the period they could no longer find adequate trainees to operate as we did, were individual, on our own recognizance, self directed using our minds not just the books. The plant is undergoing issues currently where those Techs now in the plant have to require a Supervisor to lead them by the hand to accomplish anything and is showing pretty badly.