The World's Worst Engineering Mistakes

THE WORLD'S MOST COSTLY ENGINEERING MISTAKES Over the last few centuries human beings have produced some incredible examples of engineering masterpieces, from the pyramids to London's Shard. However, as a species we haven't always got it right - in this infographic, we take a look at some of the world's most costly engineering mistakes, both in terms of the financial and human cost. 1628 THE VASA The Vasa was the biggest sailing vessel of its day The Vasa was dangerously unstable due to there being too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. • The overloaded ship sailed for all of a mile before taking on too much water and sinking. At least 30 people died when the ship sank 30 DEAD WIL 6004 1919 BOSTON MOLASSES TANK • The tank was constructed poorly and tested insufficiently • When the internal pressure from the CO2 production grew, the tank exploded. • After the tank burst, a wave of 2.5 million gallons of molasses rushed through the streets of Boston at 35 miles per hour, killing 21 and injuring 150. • The explosion of the Great Molasses purity distilling tank caused $10.7 million in damages 21 DEAD 1940 TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE The Bridge collapsed due to engineers' failure to take into account aeroelastic flutter • No human life was lost in the collapse of the bridge • The collapse of the bridge is estimated to have cost $501 million in damages, and the event is used to make modern bridges safer in windy conditions. 1979 THE SKYLAB SATELLITE Engineers didn't account for the aerodynamics of the sun and meteoroid shield, as well as one of the solar panels The satellite spent 6 years in orbit, before returning to Earth and disintegrating, with part of debris striking Western Australia • The disintegration of Skylab caused an estimated $10 million in damages 1980 HYATT REGENCY HOTEL WALKWAY • The walkway across the atrium of the Hyatt Regency collapsed as the supporting rod connections weren't strong enough to hold the required weight • The collapse killed 114 people and injured more than 200 others • The disaster was estimated to have cost millions of dollars in costs and damages paid to those injured in the collapse HYATT HYATT 2000 FIRESTONE TYRES • In 2000 6.5 million Firestone tyres were recalled after it was revealed that many had tread separation, making them potentially dangerous • During use, the tread was peeling off, causing tyre disintegration. When this happened at speed, the vehicle could leave the road and roll over • The recall cost the company an estimated $2.4 billion 2006 BIG DIG • The contractor for the 'Big Dig' tunnel used concrete that didn't meet the required specifications • In 2006, a 3-ton concrete ceiling panel fell on a car travelling through the tunnel, killing a car passenger and badly injuring the driver • The tunnel leaks, closures and fatal accident cost around $16 million in damages paid by the state 2013 THE ISAAC PERAL • After Spain invested $2.7 billion in a diesel-electric submarines, it was discovered that the first one - the Isaac Peral - was 70 tons overweight and would sink out at sea • The error occurred due to a decimal point being put in the wrong place during the design phase • The error will cost the Spanish Defense Ministry $14 million to correct, payable over 3 years GRASSFORM IGROUP www.grassform.co.uk