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SUMMARY:Collapse of Palau Bridge - Chris Burgoyne\, University of Cambridg
 e
DTSTART:20070418T170000Z
DTEND:20070418T190000Z
UID:TALK6750@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Chris Burgoyne
DESCRIPTION:In 1996 a 200m span prestressed concrete bridge joining two is
 lands in the Palau group in the western Pacific collapsed without warning.
   The bridge was 19 years old and had been suffering from problems due to 
 excessive creep\, but had been checked and assessed to be safe.  Additiona
 l prestressing cables had been added six weeks before the collapse by a we
 ll-known specialist company.  The various parties became involved in legal
  proceedings which led to a settlement out-of-court\, the details of which
  have never been published.  The talk presents the results of a study usin
 g publicly-available sources and suggests that it was the original design 
 that was at fault\, not the repair.  The talk will contrast the civil engi
 neering industry with aerospace\, where compulsory reporting of faults is 
 the norm. 
LOCATION:Barns Hotel\, Cardington Road\, Bedford MK44 3SA
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