Failure, disasters, and more
(Some cute ones, others plain textbook...)
This construction failure page is provided as a public service by A. Sebastian Engineering and Investigation Services
Summary
Disaster! When it happens in Nature, we generally sit back and watch in awe: restoration is already on its way.
Unfortunately we do not have the same luxury when it hits us or our construction projects: should we just sit back, the problem will usually compound and the degradation will be major.
Some details of the processes involved can be found by clicking on:
Local examples
This section is still under construction for now, yet open for business. Ultimately,
this page will introduce the reader to some local, yet amazing disasters in
the area: Metro Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., Metro Seattle and Tacoma,
Washington, plus the major bodies of water which define the region's geography. Some of those are directly connected to the Pacific (Georgia Straight, Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Burrard Inlet, False Creek, Howe Sound), others (Lake Union and Lake Washington) are connected through locks (built and operated by USACE) to the Puget Sound. For the time being, we will start with Route 16 exiting Tacoma. Hopefully both your computer and browser can handle video.
So, how about some moving history for starters? This one, of course, is the
Galloping Gertie. Talk about streamlined moves... Have a look! Just click on a
horse of a different color...
the Galloping Gertie
, also known as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Please use your browser's
Go: Back commands (or Go: "history") feature or your Back Arrow on the browser's toolbar to get back here.
Back to:
Building Pathology Home Page
Back to:
Construction Pathology Glossary
Back to Forensic Science
and Engineering
Temporarily out of...
Email: RoofDoc@usa.net
