Is there any possible chance that brittle steel was used on tay bridge?
Answer:
The main structure of the bridge was cast iron which is strong in compression, weak in tension and brittle. Bracing was of wrought iron which is better in tension but is more ductile than mild carbon steel.
A common practice about that time was to use cast iron for columns and wrought iron for beams.
The most likely collapse mechanism was the bolts on the upwind side fixing the cast iron columns to the piers pulled out, so the material properties of the structure may not have have made any difference. Many engineering failures are due to poor detailing rather than failure of main structural members.
I may be wrong, I thought it was made of iron, which can be brittle. The same was said of the Titanic, too brittle and it just broke. Metallurgy was very primite years ago, metals were not very ductile.
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