hydrogen embrittlement, a bigger problem than just half-shafts!

[BlackICE]

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Broken-bolts-may-delay-Bay-Bridge-opening-4390299.php

With the $6.4 billion new Bay Bridge scheduled to open in just five months, the discovery of broken bolts on part of the new eastern span has bridge officials scrambling to discover the extent of the problem and quickly craft a solution...

Caltrans discovered the snapped bolts about two weeks ago after they tightened the nuts on both ends. When they returned days later, the nuts were visibly loose, indicating that the bolts - 3 inches in diameter and ranging from 9 to 24 feet long - had cracked. Engineers extracted three of the cracked bolts and sent them to a metallurgical laboratory for analysis. Tests showed the damaged rods contained hydrogen, which can weaken metal pieces...

Heminger said that if hydrogen embrittlement is the proven cause of the bolt failure, the manufacturer could be responsible for at least some of the expense...

 

[Wwabbit]

ouch.

 

[Beach-GT]

Probably need some Accufab bolts.

 

[Indy GT]

Interesting Ice!

Sorry to see other fastener designs succumb to the same phenomenon that required our axle bolts to be replaced (for those new owners not knowing the underlying problem with the Recaro supplied bolts).

 

[Fracman]

Sounds like a case of "low bid for the win"

 

[Indy GT]

Sounds like a case of "low bid for the win"

Nope, not really. Ricaro is a very good and competent transmission company.
Someone just missed the interaction of the bolt coating with the bolt parent material.
It happens.....

 

[BlackICE]

For a "simple" explanation.

http://www.fastenal.com/web/en/71/embrittlement

 

[Fracman]

Nope, not really. Ricaro is a very good and competent transmission company.
Someone just missed the interaction of the bolt coating with the bolt parent material.
It happens.....

Should have clarified, meant the bridge bolts, not the gt bolts.

 

[BlackICE]

Should have clarified, meant the bridge bolts, not the gt bolts.

Not just the bolts, steel assemblies from China! The Chinese people don't even trust their own food supply, why do we trust their building materials? Remember the Chinese made plaster board problems?

 

[Xcentric]

We have a small scale but similar disaster here. $100+m transportation hub. Bad concrete. Bad steel. Local suppliers. It doesn't matter who the suppliers are, you still do six sigma testing.

Hard to comprehend a bridge costing $6B and, apparently, that is still not enough to do it right.

 

[BlackICE]

We have a small scale but similar disaster here. $100+m transportation hub. Bad concrete. Bad steel. Local suppliers. It doesn't matter who the suppliers are, you still do six sigma testing.

Hard to comprehend a bridge costing $6B and, apparently, that is still not enough to do it right.

Caltrans is supervising the project. For every person doing real work they have 3 workers doing nothing useful!

 

[Kayvan]

Is GT safe to drive on this bridge ?

With or without Accufab?!?