Flyover collapse in Hubei, China

[bugbus]

"Four people died and eight were injured after a section of a highway flyover in China’s central Hubei province collapsed, according to Chinese authorities."

https://apnews.com/article/business-china-beijing-accidents-a955fd8cd41d5819581ac223b1799172

Looks like some kind of heavy load platform caused the section of bridge to overturn. The structure itself appears to be in surprisingly good shape.

I would be interested to know what the platform was carrying and how heavy it was.

Does anyone know if bridges in China are designed for these sorts of vehicles, and whether there are any restrictions on lane position as there are in other parts of the world (e.g. Australia)?

 

[epoxybot]

Video of the single column supports.

 

[JohnRBaker]

It looks like the flyover was just sitting on top of the pillars. From the damage to the underside, It look like that was minimal connection between the top of the pillars and the bottom of the flyover.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[dik]

From the article:

"Preliminary investigations revealed that a truck weighing a total of 198 tons had broken into two pieces while falling off the structure. The newspaper Beijing News said the truck was four times over the allowable weight limit on the flyover, which was built 11 years ago."

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[dik]

On one of my projects, I had six 400,000lb transformers installed and never thought to determine how they were delivered. Maybe a bunch of little pieces?

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[bones206]

thread815-459124
Similar failure

 

[MintJulep]

There is almost certainly video of the moment of failure. Unlikely that it will ever be seen in public however.

 

[AusG]

Chinese media reporting that the haulage was supposed to leave that expressway at a toll station before the bridge but it did not do so. A maintenance crew working on the bridge at the time directed the driver off the centreline onto an outer lane. Investigations to be made on how it was allowed to continue past the required exit point.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202112/1242838.shtml

 

[davidbeach]

In my experience in the US, transformer deliveries involve a lot of infrastructure analysis. Small county road CIP concrete get "ignored" in that it's easier to drop a span across them allowing the assumption of zero strength. Obviously something this long can't be "jumped" like that, but a well executed transport plan has it all covered. That does assume that accurate structural info is available. I'm guessing there wasn't a single failure in this chain. Probably not even just 2 or 3 failures. Maybe the chain didn't even exist to fail in the first place.

I’ll see your silver lining and raise you two black clouds. - Protection Operations

 

[spsalso]

"...a well executed transport plan..."

Nope. Didn't happen.

That bridge ain't exactly impressive, either.



spsalso

 

[AutisticBez]

Chinese: the truck was overweight.

Right, and it had nothing to do with the bridge being poorly designed. In Asia the standards are reduced, something my wife told me, be very careful with my 120kg mass. She was referring to lifts and escalators. Such are poorly designed.

 

[Comcokid]

Just an observation from a nonstructural guy.
The flyover may have yielded slowly as it failed. If you look you can see tire marks as the tractor and load slid sideways. Appears there was no forward motion of the vehicle/load from these marks. If the failure was sudden it would seem the vehicle/load would have gained enough momentum to do a complete 360 to a near-upright position. Instead most of the vehicle is over 90 degrees and only the transformer and rear wheel section did a 180 roll.

 

[spsalso]

The failure looks almost static to me.

Place a heavy load here, see what happens.

Oops!


spsalso

 

[oldrunner]

Looks like a transformer moving operation with a multi-wheel per axle platform. I had a project where we couldn't put that kind of load over a bridge in no. california. It was basically good for a purple load and the initial legal trailer with the proper axle spacing had to go down the center of the bridge with two haulers. I didn't know that the trailer itself would wander some back and forth on the roadway! (As EOR,I had to walk behind the load!) (Jimtown Bridge - Sonoma Co). After going across the 3 sections of bridge, the transformer was transferred to a Schurle multi-tire independent suspension platform. Going to the Geysers. The move across the bridge was all done at walking speed.
Notice the special beams used to carry the load (yellow)

Roadway super elevation: Yes, in a pre-design of the SF Bart 40 foot steel box girders, a halted train on a curve with a super elevation designed for some speed could fold inward. The concrete equivalent didn't have that problem. (mid 1960's) I don't remember if I had a load case which included a seismic event while the train was halted.

 

[dik]

Not 'oops' but, 'Oh, sh*t'.

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[spsalso]

Speaking of zillion-wheel trailers:

I did some work connected to the transfer of two container cranes (about 500 tons each, at least) across a small body of water. A barge was used. I arrived for my task after the first one was transferred and heard this story:

The trailer and crane were being rolled onto the barge. There were ballast pumps to raise the deck of the barge to level. The ballast pumps got behind, and the barge became "downhill". The trailer and crane started rolling without assistance from the tractors. And without being slowed by their brakes. As the assembly kept rolling, the barge became more and more "downhill".

A rather spectacular event was avoided by everyone on the barge throwing every piece of wood on the deck under the wheels. And it stopped rolling.


spsalso

 

[bimr]

Website showing how these several hundred tons super loads are moved:

Super Load Video Website