• Question: What checks and balances do you use to make sure that you don't make mistakes when building bridges or fixing them

    Asked by fete134raw on 17 Jul 2021.
    • Photo: Louise Wood

      Louise Wood answered on 23 Jun 2021:

      Hi Fete,
      This has turned up in my inbox. Rob Gilbert is our bridges expert, you can find him on the Engineers list. Great question though!

    • Photo: Edmond Gan

      Edmond Gan answered on 23 Jun 2021:

      Aerospace engineer here. Safety is critical and we make sure we are doing the right things (validation) and doing things right (verification). It starts with understanding how you plan on using the aircraft. For example, are you a jumbojet transporting 100s of passengers or a helicopter flying to rescue people? We also work in teams and check each other’s work, whilst taking lessons from past experience. There are also strict manufacturing controls – for example, making sure spanners are not left in the engine. Finally, we carry out tests to make sure that the aircraft is able to do the things that it is designed to.

      P.S. we also help our customers with maintaining their aircraft.

    • Photo: Sam Hurst

      Sam Hurst answered on 23 Jun 2021:

      The drawings from the design engineers are checked by a seperate company often without access to the calculations. This filters out any mistakes with the design.

      Before the builder orders materials, they must all be approved by the designer to make sure that the correct material has been ordered. There is also regular testing of materials as they arrive to make sure they are the right quality. Crushing concrete to test its strength is very common.

      When building bridges, there is a written method of construction that all builders sign with HOLD POINTS. Hold Points are where the builders must stop and get an engineer to check the work before they can proceed to the next stage.

      All of the above is stored in the handover file for the new owner.

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