119(5),  1539-1555. The next day, McLure went to New York to seek advice from Cooper (pp. He also accepted the responsibility of shop inspector of the steel fabrication and erection. The stresses that caused the failure were not due to abnormal weather conditions or accident, but were such as might be expected in the regular course of erection. The initial design length clear span was 487.7 m (1,600 ft). At this point, they were permanently riveted in place. After a few meeting his design was approved with very few changes by Cooper. Several ethical concerns can be pointed out in this case. McLure arrived at roughly 5:15 p.m. and the men discussed the circumstances briefly before deciding to wait until the next morning to decide a course of action (pp. They had somehow reached the conclusion that the bends in the chords had occurred before they left the yard. The bridge collapsed during construction on August 29, 1907, killing eighty-six workers. He mandated unusually high allowable stresses, and failed to require recalculation of the bridge dead load when the span was lengthened. history was the collapse during construction of the bridge over the St Lawrence near Quebec City (see Figure 1). They were to support a suspended span with a length of 205.7 m (675 ft.). The velocity of the river reached 13 or 14 kph (8 or 9 mph) at times, and the tides ranged as high as 5 m (18 ft). Theodore Cooper had been the consulting engineer for the Quebec Bridge project, and most of the blame for the disaster fell on his shoulders. There was growing concern about the deflections. Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Lessons from the Collapse of the Schoharie Creek Bridge, Collapse of Ashtabula Bridge on December 29, 1876, Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2006)20:1(84), © 1996–2020, American Society of Civil Engineers. The new units stresses were accepted anyway based solely on Cooper�s reputation (Holgate, et al., 1908). The project failed twice, at the cost of 88 lives, and took over 30 years to complete. Petroski (1995) compares dimensions of the two bridges, showing the dramatic increase in member sizes. Although the need was great, the job of bridging the St. Lawrence would prove to be no easy task (pp. Another concern during the erection of the bridge was the joints. A disturbing pattern was emerging. The panel’s report found that the main cause of the bridge’s failure was improper design of the latticing on the compression chords. The message from Cooper reached the Phoenixville office at 1:15 p.m. The compression chord members for the Quebec Bridge consisted of four multi-layered ribs (figure 5). The wreckage is shown in figure 3. The piers were tapered 1 in 12 (1 in. Subsequent inspections turned up more deflecting chords in August. Episode 18 - Quebec Bridge Collapse. 34-35. Figure 5: The Built-up Compression Members (1 ft. = 305 mm, 1 in. This provides at least an impression that the process was not fair and open, even though, (Holgate et al., 1908) concluded, �As to either party influencing Mr. Cooper or causing him to modify his ideas so as to favour any tender, such a suggestion is, in our opinion, quite out of the question, and we believe that Mr. Cooper made his decisions and gave his opinions with absolute honesty.�  (p. 15, Holgate et al., 1908). In August 1907, the bridge collapsed suddenly. �The Anchor Pier Towers of the Quebec Bridge� (1907), Engineering Record, Vol. Their completed report was a pioneering event in the discipline of forensic engineering, and consisted of over two hundred pages plus twenty-one appendices. A distinguished panel was assembled to investigate the disaster. Theodore Cooper had been the consulting engineer for the Quebec Bridge project, and most of the blame for the disaster fell on his shoulders. On October 2, 1900, the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, placed the cornerstone of the Quebec Bridge. In conclusion of this thought, �Cooper�s engineering expertise became the sole factor that was relied upon for assuring structural integrity of the bridge.� (Roddis, 1993). The estimated weight of the span was calculated based on these first drawings. Earlier, noted French engineer Gustave Eiffel had considered the problem and found that a cantilever design would be superior to either a suspension or an arch bridge for the Quebec site (pp. In its final design, the clear span was 548.6 m (1,800 ft) long. March 4, 2015. The failure of these chords was due to their defective design.�, �We do not consider that the specifications for the work were satisfactory or sufficient, the unit stresses in particular being higher than any established by past practice. �The Cause of the Quebec Bridge Failure�, (1907), Engineering Record, Vol. Its waters were about 58 m (190 ft) deep at its middle. 2. Associate Professor, Dept. The piers were the only part of the structure that survived. He was one of the foremost American bridge builders of his day. The thunderous roar of the collapse was heard ten km (six miles) away in Quebec (p.80, Middleton, 2001). The basic configuration of a cantilever bridge is shown in figure 1. Another advancement was the formation of two organizations, the American Institute for Steel Construction in 1921, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in 1914. The new amended order-in-council to the Railways and Canals gave an unclear definition of just how much authority Cooper would have over the project. His health was poor and because of this, he never visited the site once construction began on the superstructure. Quebec City, QC Bridge Collapse, Sept 1916. They were stiffened by the use of diagonal latticing to make them act as one unit. This greatly reduced the number of workers on the project, and there was concern that a temporary stoppage would cause more workers to leave and delay the project. 1 QUEBEC BRIDGE COLLAPSE -1907 1.1 INVESTIGATE ALLOCATED EXAMPLES OF ENGINEERING FAILURE: The Quebex Bridge was a long time in planning, the original design come from the Quebec Bridge Company in 1887, of which Hon. 78 � 79, Middleton, 2001). It would stand 45.7 m (150 ft.) above the river. The bridge project was financially troubled from the beginning. The ends of all the chords were cambered to allow for the small deflections that were expected to occur when the chords came under their full dead load. How… The Quebec Bridge was the longest cantilever structure attempted until that time. The Quebec Bridge was twenty years in the making, from the founding of the Quebec Bridge Company in 1887 to the bridge�s collapse in 1907. Although there were sound engineering reasons for this change, it was also true that the lengthening of the span would also make Cooper the Chief Engineer for the longest cantilever bridge in the world (Petroski, 1995, p. 46, Middleton, 2001). Indiana University Press, Indiana, USA. After a brief discussion between the two men on August 29, Cooper wired the Phoenixville office saying, �Add no more load to the bridge until after due consideration of facts. Collapse of the Quebec Bridge, 1907. Montreal already had the Grand Trunk railway system, which passes through it from the west connecting it to Toronto. The bridge was finally completed in 1917, and stands today. The A9L bottom compression chord, which was already bent, gave way under the increasing weight of the bridge (figure 2). Presented By Things Simplified ( A New Perspective ) 2. 1. and Norbert Delatte, M.ASCE. The collapse was initiated by the buckling failure of Chord A9L, on the anchor arm near the pier, immediately followed by Chord A9R. '[3] Holgate, Henry; Derry, John, G. G.; Galbraith, John. 55, January 12, pgs. Meanwhile, back at the construction site, at about the same time the decision-makers in Phoenixville were ending their meeting, the Quebec Bridge collapsed at 5:30 p.m. There was no one present on the job site that was qualified to oversee this type of work or who was in a position to make a decision. Construction of the bridge officially began on October 2, 1900, after a grand ceremony. Some of the engineers were unconcerned about the problem, believing that it was nothing serious. Theodore Cooper, who learned of the Quebec Bridge project at the ASCE meeting, offered his consulting services to the Quebec Bridge Company (pp. The specifications called for a cantilever structure. The lives of those involved with the Quebec Bridge, from the designers to the construction workers, were forever changed after the accident. The Quebec Bridge (Pont de Québec in French) is a road, rail and pedestrian bridge across the lower Saint Lawrence River between Sainte-Foy (since 2002 a western suburb of Quebec City) and Lévis, Quebec, Canada.The project failed twice, at the cost of 88 lives, and took over 30 years to complete. 48 � 50, Middleton, 2001). The desire to bridge the St. Lawrence River was fueled by Quebec�s need to be competitive in trade. Most of the poor engineering decisions were made by the prominent consulting engineer, Theodore Cooper. The anchorage arm and the north-south cantilever were built between 1913 and 1916. It was at time of construction the longest cantilever bridge in the world with clear span of 1800 ft. These were built up with latticing, and as they deflected higher stresses were placed on the latticing as well as the rivets attaching the lattices to the main compression members. Only eleven workers on the span survived. Quebec bridge is a rail, road and pedestrian bridge situated on the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada. One of the construction foremen decided to halt work on the bridge until matters could be resolved. Dawson printer to the King Ottawa. When skilled ironworkers observed the growing deflections, indicating a gradual collapse of the structure, a confident site supervisor might have realized the gravity of the situation and halted construction. The splices initially touched only at one end, and could not fully transfer their load until they had deflected enough to cause full contact at the splices. In his haste to get to his destination, he neglected to send the information. Quebec bridge is a rail, road and pedestrian bridge situated on the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada. An independent consultant may have not allowed the higher than normal design stresses. The bridge project was financially troubled from the beginning. This is because prior to the construction of this bridge, a previous attempt had been made that resulted in one of the most tragic and well-known bridge collapses in North American history. It was repaired and placed into the structure. The design included two tracks for trains and one lane of roa… He eventually became vice president of the company. Compression tests were performed on one-third scale models of the compression chords in November 1907 and January 1908 to verify this theory. The major one is that deformations went unheeded for so long. This resulted in a loose and inefficient supervision of all parts of the work on the part of the Quebec Bridge and Railway Company.�, �The work done by the Phoenix Bridge Company in making the detail drawings and in planning and carrying out the erection, and by the Phoenix Iron Company in fabricating the material was good, and the steel used was of good quality. The chief designing engineer for the Phoenix Company, Peter Szlapka, was certain that the bend was put in the chord ribs at the shop. On October 2, 1900, the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, placed the cornerstone of the Québec Bridge. The concept of the cantilever structure was first used in 1867. 55, January 19, 1907. A bridge of the adopted span that will unquestionably be safe can be built, but in the present state of professional knowledge a considerably larger amount of metal would have to be used than might be required if our knowledge were more exact.�. The piers were made of huge granite facing stones with concrete backing. Engineering Record (ER). The Quebec Bridge was the longest cantilever structure attempted until that time. The bridge project was financially troubled from the beginning. Digitized By Villanova University. The initial design weight for the bridge was expected to be 276 MN (62 million pounds). High above the St. Lawrence River, on a hot August day in 1907, a worker named Beauvais was driving rivets into the great southern span of the Quebec Bridge. It took three tries and cost 89 lives, but the city of Quebec was determined to compete with provincial rival Montreal for commercial rail traffic in the late 19th century. 73 � 74, Middleton, 2001). Work continued on the bridge. This caused many setbacks in the design and construction. With some financial help from the local Quebec legislature, preliminary surveys were made. He did not require the compression members to be tested. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stilwell Hall SH 108, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland State Univ., Cleveland, OH 44115-2214 (corresponding author). Adding to the design problems, Cooper increased the original allowable stresses for the bridge. Great care had to be taken while working around these joints until they were riveted (pp. The rail bridge was designed to link the two shores and provide easier transit for the 11 railroad companies in particular between the railways in Québec and the United States. In return, the Quebec Bridge Company would then be obligated to give the tender for construction of the bridge to the Phoenix Bridge Company. The Quebec Bridge was included in the National Transcontinental Railway project, undertaken by the federal government. First Collapse in 1907: The collapse of the Quebec Bridge resulted from the failure of the lower chords in the anchor arm near the main pier. 56, Sept. 14, pg. Cooper�s formula is compared to contemporary allowable stresses from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC, 1989) as well as the 96.5 MPa (14 ksi) allowable stress adopted for the second bridge (p. 107, Middleton, 2001) in figure 4. Work started shortly afterwards and was completed late in 1902. Erection of the superstructure portion of the bridge did not begin until July 22, 1905. He stated that this would eliminate the uncertainty of constructing piers in such deep water, lessen the effects of ice, and shorten the time of construction of the piers. Cooper�s reluctance to travel to the site, based on his poor health, led to confusion about responsibility and site supervision. Tenders were called for on September 6, 1898 and received until March 1, 1899 (Holgate et al., 1908). Buy Quebec Bridge 1907 Nview Of The Quebec Bridge Following Its Collapse On 29 August 1907 Poster Print by (24 x 36) online on Amazon.ae at best prices. Only eleven of the workers on the span were recovered alive, and some bodies were never found. When the workers tried to rivet the joints between these chords, the pre-drilled holes did not line up. As stated by (Middleton 2001, p. 91), ��the thoroughness and objectivity of their inquiry and report stand even today as models of their kind.�. John Deans continued to serve as chief engineer of the Phoenix Bridge Company. The Quebec Bridge is the longest cantilever span in the world, with a centre-distance of … Listed below are some of the major findings (pp. These constraints had delayed engineering analysis and led to adoption of unconservative specifications. In an ideal column each part would take its share of the load and no connection would be required. The company now faced the problem of financing the great bridge. Of 38 Caughnawaga Mohawk ironworkers who had left their village to work on the bridge, 33 were killed and two were injured (p. 84, Middleton, 2001). The bridge collapsed during construction on August 29, 1907, killing eighty-six workers. In response, the Phoenix Bridge Company sent its chief engineer to meet with the Quebec Bridge Company�s chief engineer at an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) meeting in Quebec in 1897. These were questioned by the bridge engineer for the Railways and Canals as being unusually high. �This error was sufficient to have condemned the bridge had it not fallen owing to other causes.� (p. 37, Holgate et al., 1908). The second bridge was finally completed in 1917 and weighed two and a half times as much as the first one (Tarkov, 1986). The Quebec Bridge was the longest cantilever structure attempted until that time. The Collapse of the Quebec Bridge- A Mistake Made Twice Facts The Quebec Bridge was In its final design, the clear span was 548.6 m (1,800 ft) long. The specifications were accepted without protest by all interested.�, �A grave error was made in assuming the dead load for the calculations at too low a value and not afterwards revising this assumption. How one man's decisions caused the collapse of the Quebec Bridge. Thirteen workers lost their lives in this accident. The stress calculations were based on the 487.7 m (1,600 ft) span dimension. However, when the company did finally secure funds for testing, Cooper rejected the idea stating that too much time had been wasted already. However, suspension bridge designs were allowed, providing they came with their own set of specifications. Was Quebec City, QC bridge collapse, the transportation needs of Quebec led to for. 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