GINEERS
EN
BIG DIG TUNNEL CEILING COLLAPSE - A
DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT
To the editor:
The article on the Big Dig Tunnel Ceiling Collapse (National
Transport Safety Board report reprinted in The Structural Engineer,
Fall 2007) blames the ceiling collapse of Interstate 90 connector
tunnel in Boston on the inappropriate use of epoxy anchor adhesive
and “creep.” It is my opinion, based on a great deal of professional
experience, that many of the findings of this report should be
seriously questioned. I would like to suggest that the following
possible, but very simple causes also be considered:
1. Wrong drill size. Epoxy grouts are very sensitive to ‘creep’
problems when an oversized bit is used to drill holes. Even a
very small over-specification of the drill bit, perhaps as little
as 1/4” can cause serious bonding and creep problems.
2. Wrong drilling angle. It is not uncommon for the driller to
turn the drill body round and round while drilling in order to
ease his up-push effort, particularly if the drill bit is dull or
had a wrong point bevel. The result is a cone-shaped hole,
with the large end at the surface, making ‘creep’ problems
worse!
3. Wrong drill depth. This is a common field problem. If the
drilled hole is too deep, the inserted bolt will push the epoxy
ahead, up into empty space, instead of through trapped
epoxy that would force it to flow back downwards and
around the bolt as intended.
All three of the above scenarios can be prevented if a knowledgeable
inspector is present during the drilling process.
4. Wrong epoxy mix: It appears that in the Big Dig Tunnel, the
epoxy mix specifications were for holes drilled down, when
in fact these holes were drilled up. To avoid this, the epoxy
mix should be specified by someone knowledgeable in
epoxy bolting work, rather than boilerplate specification
work.
5. No depth gage inspection of hole filling (or, the lack of
filling) during the epoxy fill work. If nothing else is
available, a simple stick can work as depth gage.
6. No testing of installation technique before starting work on
the up-drilled holes. The National Transport Safety Board
Report never mentions anything about testing of fill, of mix,
of drill, of set time, of cure method, of pullout strength gain
per cure time, or of install temperatures. All are critical to
safe embed tension anchorage with epoxies.
7. There is no mention in the report of vibratory loading on roof
panels and anchors. Any person who has ever worked in a
tunnel roof over traffic will attest to this one: Trucks passing
below exert a windblast uplift as they pass. The force flaps
panels hard as every truck goes by. Even cars give some
upforce. As a result, anchors are alternately relaxed and
over-pulled (by reactive flutter down-force, panel weight
inertia) by every passing vehicle. With thousands passing
vehicles, the vertical flutter motions per anchor becomes
significant. None of the publications I have reviewed on the
THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
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subject of these tunnels discusses how much overload (in
tension) is/was caused by this flutter, compared to dead
weight of the panels.
7. It would be interesting to know what cure temperature or
dampness of hole was specified in matching the grout mix to
the job. I find most specifications do not regard these
considerations as important, when in fact they are critical!
The report concentrates on ‘creep’ of bolts out of holes. However,
this is a known issue with every epoxy bolt installations. Was the
report giving this so much emphasis in order to gloss over other
deficiencies? Perhaps
The lack of proper specification.
The lack of proper field inspectionAT EVERY BOLT.
The lack of proper worker training.
The fact that there are many grouts which will work well in
the manner needed on this job, but were not specified by the
designers.
There is also a real-life fact that is often not overlooked the
difficulty of drilling upwards. The driller must contend with the
weight of the drill, the drag of the hose or wire, the constant shower
of dust falling onto his face and possibly interfering with his vision,
the up-force needed to penetrate strong concrete, and the stamina to
keep “correctly” drilling hole after hole. And, many of these jobs
involve thousands of holes.
So, how should this tough problem be addressed? Three possible
solutions come to mind:
1. Specify cement-grouted anchors, in oversize air-drilled
holes, with center-bolt-hole filling for 100% surety in total
bolt surrounding by the grout. Grout, which is insensitive to
low concrete temperatures was present in those tunnels.
However, Boston tunnel outer walls often remain at around
40-50 degrees F. year round. This temperature is hardly
conducive to good curing for epoxies, and is not much better
for cements. However, the right mix can perform correctly in
this temperature range.
2. Eliminate all drilling. Set the anchors as the wet tunnel
concrete is poured. With today's drafting and field layout
tools, accurate placement often cited as a reason against
this approach should not be an issue. I have used this
technique myself many times as have many others!
3. Set anchor plates in the wet concrete, and simply weld to
these when the exact anchorage spot is known. I have also
successfully used this technique.
Ramon J. Cook, P. E.
Texas 2007 Professional Engineer's License # 22830
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