The old immovable object vs irresistable force trick

[Keith Webb]

This was emailed to me by a friend so I don't know the original source:

"Engineering Problem

A backhoe weighing 8 tons is on top of a flatbed trailer and heading
east on Interstate 70 near Hays, Kansas. The extended shovel arm is
made of hardened refined steel and the approaching overpass is made of
commercial-grade concrete, reinforced with 1 1/2 inch steel rebar spaced
at 6 inch intervals in a criss-cross pattern layered at 1 foot vertical
spacing.


Solve: When the shovel arm hits the overpass, how fast do you have to
be going to slice the bridge in half? (Assume no effect for headwind
and no braking by the driver...)

Extra Credit: Solve for the time and distance required for the entire
rig to
come to a complete stop after hitting the overpass at the speed
calculated
above?

Extra Extra Credit: How much to the nearest $1000 did this cost the
company
moving
the backhoe and how many minutes from the time that it happened to the
time
that the
truck driver was fired for being an idiot?"

[Keith Webb]

Looks expensive.

[Tony Smith]

Originally posted by Keith Webb
Looks expensive.

Another Hyundai moment!

[Ponysoldier]

I figure the bridge was a complete loss. The driver lasted
about 30 seconds after his boss found out. The physic's
it doesnt matter it happened. My question is who's
going to pay for both the bridge and the back hoe???
Patrick
Nobody checked the span height??????

[oztankboy]

Simmilar thing happened on the Gold Coast Hwy a few years back but not quite so bad. still the bridge was seriously dammaged and was closed. The rig and excavator belonged to the infamious Dean Bros... It was reported at the time that the driver legged it. Don't know if they caught up with him.

Phil...

[Keith Webb]

"photographs displayed above capture the aftermath of an accident that occurred on the evening of 13 February 2006 on Interstate 70 near Hays, Kansas. The driver of a semi-tractor trailer that was hauling a track hoe excavator on a flatbed misestimated the clearance at an overpass, and the boom of the hoe collided with the overpass and knocked a 45-foot gap through the deck of the bridge. The accident forced an 11-day closure of the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70. (The bridge itself remained closed even after the highway reopened.)

The driver of the rig was uninjured, although he was later cited for not having clearance to drive on the interstate. The Kansas Department of Transportation said the construction company for which the driver worked would be liable for the cost of repairs to the overpass, which were estimated at $134,000 as of late March 2006. "



Link.

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

We have a street here in Montreal called Guy Street.It goes up a hill under a CPR railway line.For years now 48 foot rigs pulled by semis have low bridged and have torn open the van roofs like opening a tin of sardines,or they've wedged the van underneath .They generally take air out of the tires and back down the hill.The problem has been that the overpass is higher on the downhill slope and shorter on the uphill portion.CPR have painted both ends in yellow and black striped paint with flashing lights and big black height numerals but the idiots are still getting crammed underneath.I think John McGillivray here in Montreal ,knows of this famous spot.

[John McGillivray]

Garry, I know the place you are describing. When I was with 2Fd we always took that route down Côte des Neige, then Guy St. and across the Victory Bridge, when we were heading to Farmham. A deuce and a half with a gun behind dose not like to stop on a hill especially in winter.

[Pedr]

Yeah same here in Aus.

Cop a load o' this!

Pedr

P.S. The spelling of Pryce ( Price ) may be a clue - I dunno.