Metallurgical Aspects of the Failure of the Point Pleasant Bridge

Examination of the fractured eyebar which caused the collapse of the bridge led to the conclusion that a stress-corrosion crack had penetrated to a depth of ⅛ in. during the 40 years that the bridge was in service. This flaw was sufficient to initiate fracture across the remainder of the 16 in.2 area of the lower limb of the eye due to the high local stress and the low fracture toughness of the steel.