7 ms·

According to a german news report [1], it could be due to material fatigue. [1] https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2022/12/berlin-karl-liebknecht-strasse-aq

by feb 4y ago

According to a german news report [1], it could be due to material fatigue. [1] https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2022/12/berlin-karl-liebknecht-strasse-aquarium-feuerwehr-polizei-einsatz.html https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2022/12/berlin-karl-li...

usrusr 4y ago
If it's due to material fatigue it's due to engineering failure. That in turn may or may not be due to the yes-men promotion mechanism.
- Eduard 4y ago
  > yes-men promotion mechanism huh?
  - donkeyd 4y ago
    People who say yes without questioning their superiors or clients tend to get promoted. This is what I assume they mean.
- PurpleRamen 4y ago
  The tank was around 20 Years old. How is material fatigue an engineering failure at that age?
  - bombcar 4y ago
    If the engineers didn't know it would fail in 20 years from material fatigue, that's something that should be learned. They may be blameless by any reasonable standard, but knowing how/when something will reach end of life is an important part of design. We learned a similar lesson with airplanes.
  - jacquesm 4y ago
    20 years is a very long time for a structure under such extreme stress. You can bet that this accident will influence all such designs and cause a structural review of every other large tank made of acrylic in the world, as well as various under water tunnels in large aquaria.
ChuckNorris89 4y ago
Fatigue from what? It's a stationary object housed indoors, not a car or plane that goes through several climatical, temperature and environmental changes to cause fatigue. Unless they were subjecting the tank to draining and filling cycles often, it seems more like a design/build fault that was a ticking time bomb from the start.
- Mikeb85 4y ago
  The fact an object is stationary doesn't mean forces aren't continuously being applied... Same goes for bridges and every load bearing object.
  - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
    Bridges are outdoor subject to weather the forces of wind and the weight and harmonics of vehicles and people crossing them constantly. A fish tank a relatively constant by comparison.
    - gsatic 4y ago
      The fish were having a race.
    - danwee 4y ago
      Gravity.
      - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
        Edited due to incorrect assumption.
        zimpenfish 4y ago
        I'm no engineer but this would be static fatigue[1], no? "[S]tatic fatigue occurs during prolonged and constant application of stress" (my emphasis) - much like the glass/acrylic at the bottom of a 14m high, 1M litre water column, say. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_fatigue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_fatigue
weinzierl 4y ago
Yes, that is widely reported now as a very preliminary cause. Also that it has been completely modernized in 2020. Here is a promotional video of the renovation activities: https://vimeo.com/530397162 https://vimeo.com/530397162

by feb 4y ago

usrusr 4y ago

If it's due to material fatigue it's due to engineering failure. That in turn may or may not be due to the yes-men promotion mechanism.

Eduard 4y ago
> yes-men promotion mechanism huh?
- donkeyd 4y ago
  People who say yes without questioning their superiors or clients tend to get promoted. This is what I assume they mean.
PurpleRamen 4y ago
The tank was around 20 Years old. How is material fatigue an engineering failure at that age?
- bombcar 4y ago
  If the engineers didn't know it would fail in 20 years from material fatigue, that's something that should be learned. They may be blameless by any reasonable standard, but knowing how/when something will reach end of life is an important part of design. We learned a similar lesson with airplanes.
- jacquesm 4y ago
  20 years is a very long time for a structure under such extreme stress. You can bet that this accident will influence all such designs and cause a structural review of every other large tank made of acrylic in the world, as well as various under water tunnels in large aquaria.

ChuckNorris89 4y ago

Fatigue from what? It's a stationary object housed indoors, not a car or plane that goes through several climatical, temperature and environmental changes to cause fatigue. Unless they were subjecting the tank to draining and filling cycles often, it seems more like a design/build fault that was a ticking time bomb from the start.

Mikeb85 4y ago
The fact an object is stationary doesn't mean forces aren't continuously being applied... Same goes for bridges and every load bearing object.
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago
  Bridges are outdoor subject to weather the forces of wind and the weight and harmonics of vehicles and people crossing them constantly. A fish tank a relatively constant by comparison.
  - gsatic 4y ago
    The fish were having a race.
  - danwee 4y ago
    Gravity.
    - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
      Edited due to incorrect assumption.
      - zimpenfish 4y ago
        I'm no engineer but this would be static fatigue[1], no? "[S]tatic fatigue occurs during prolonged and constant application of stress" (my emphasis) - much like the glass/acrylic at the bottom of a 14m high, 1M litre water column, say. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_fatigue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_fatigue

weinzierl 4y ago

Yes, that is widely reported now as a very preliminary cause. Also that it has been completely modernized in 2020. Here is a promotional video of the renovation activities: https://vimeo.com/530397162 https://vimeo.com/530397162