Word of the Day
I-bar (EYE-bar)
Common clues: Construction piece
Definition: a steel beam having a cross section resembling the letter “I”. I-bars are used to support long spans such as bridges.
[Courtesy:
Suzie Crump – Please visit her web-site: Silver
Bridge]
Silver Bridge, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, 1967. In the worst bridge disaster in the history of the United States, 37 trucks and cars fell into the water when this bridge collapsed. The damage was caused by a broken I-bar, a small metal beam that connects the bridge’s different parts. As engineers found out later, one I-bar had a tiny crack at the time of construction; over time the wear and tear of weather and traffic broke the I-bar apart. Once one side of the bridge fell, the other side couldn’t handle the weight, so it collapsed too.
[Source: DiscoverySchool]
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