Weather is an element, a factor, or a cause of some failures or accidents in Eastern Canada. We get a lot of weather down here so it’s not surprising.
It’s almost always one of several elements in the problems even if it’s quickly dismissed as not relevant. It’s sometimes a factor in the mechanism leading to a failure. And it’s occasionally the cause of a failure.
Some examples will raise your awareness
Wind a factor in bridge failure
I thought to raise your awareness of this after suggesting that wind was a factor in the failure of a bridge in Edmonton in March. Crane cables repeatedly tugged at the top of one of the bridge girders to which they were attached. The beam eventually failed by buckling sideways. The cables hung from crane booms exposed to the wind. (Ref. 1)
Weather increases house maintenance
Those of you living in houses that are a few years old have probably noticed the need to paint the south side of timber clad homes more often and to re-point brick clad homes. I know I have to do that with my home. That’s failure – increased maintenance, due to weather. Some of the problem is due to the heat of the sun; some is due to freeze/thaw cycles. Weather is the cause.
Rain triggers landslide..!!
I investigated the cause of a landslide that destroyed a home in Redhead on the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick several years ago. Rain triggered the landslide by increasing the water pressure in the soil that then slid down. The land was on the verge of sliding, rain was the trigger. This “trigger mechanism” is well known in civil and geotechnical engineering. Weather was a factor.
Snow causes roof collapse
I drove past a house this morning with a roof that had collapsed under the weight of snow that accumulated this past winter. Weather was the cause.
Weather did not cause bridge collapse
I investigated the cause of a soil-steel bridge failure – a very large culvert, a few years ago. People thought initially that torrential rain – four inches in a few hours, caused a flood that washed the bridge out. However, photographs taken of the failure and a topographic survey showed that the flood was only half the capacity of the bridge culvert. Weather was not the cause, nor a factor, only an element. (Steel corrosion was the cause)
Dirty weather a factor in traffic accidents
Dirty weather is often a factor in traffic accidents. Sometimes it’s a cause.
Checking rainfall
I check rainfall as a matter of course when investigating drainage and flooding problems. Sometimes it figures in the problem, sometimes not.
I like heavy rain – Sorry. It helps solve problems
I like heavy rain when investigating some problems – Sorry. For some problems, it quickly and reliably defines runoff patterns much better than expensive, detailed topographic surveys. For other problems, it enables me to correlate a rough measure of discharge on a property with reported rainfall in an area. (Ref. 2)
References
- Bridge beams that fail are sometimes like balloons http://www.ericjorden.com/blog/2015/05/20/bridge-beams-that-fail-are-sometimes-like-balloons-filled-with-water-squeeze-them-and-they-pop-out-somewhere-else/
- Why forensic engineers like heavy rain http://www.ericjorden.com/blog/2014/04/09/image-credits-and-why-forensic-engineers-like-wet-weather-the-heavier-the-rain-the-better/