January 18, 2016 – The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has reached out to the National Research Council (NRC), Canada’s research and technology organization, to help in their efforts to determine the cause of the failure of the Nipigon River Bridge, an essential connection of the Trans-Canada highway in northwestern Ontario.
“We are pleased to work with Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation to analyze the conditions that led to the bolts’ failure on the Nipigon River Bridge,” says Richard Tremblay, general manager of construction at the National Research Council of Canada. “The National Research Council is deploying its best industry-leading experts in materials analysis and critical infrastructure and advanced equipment to arrive at a timely, safe, and lasting solution for Canadians using this important trade corridor.”
Beginning this week, NRC’s experts in materials analysis and critical infrastructure will analyze some of the damaged bolts taken from the Nipigon River Bridge, which will be transported to facilities in Ottawa for further testing. Failure analysis will be carried out on the bolts used to hold together two sections of the cable-stay bridge.
Work will begin with fracture surface evaluation, metallurgical composition, and mechanical property verifications to ensure conformity with ASTM standards.
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