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Posted on 03/31/2017 3:59:30 AM PDT by Vlad The Inhaler
I’m waiting on Rosie’s engineering report.....Ya’ know she’s a PE.../s
Had forgotten about the Philly I-95 fire.
Exactly. Reporters dumb down concepts like this all the time.
Birmingham area has a growing Waffle House population.
In actuality, the steel did not melt (and I highly doubt any structural engineer said this to a reporter). Rather, the reporter mis-interpreted what he said.
There will be no puddles of re-hardened steel found under the bridge...only twisted beams. This is because the tensile strength of the steel changes at high temperature - but long before the steel reaches its melting point. (I’m assuming that an open fire like this cannot get that hot, no matter what is burning - likely a very good assumption).
Think of a blacksmith beating on a red hot iron rod. The rod certainly isn’t melted. The hammering demonstrates that, although red hot, it is still quite solid. However, the blacksmith knows that a red hot iron rod is a lot weaker than a cold one, and this is why he heats it up before beating on it with the hammer.
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