Ep 129 Mini Failure 43 Cheesegrater - Hydrogen Embrittlement

We’re releasing episodes from our mini failure library while we’re on production hiatus.

This week’s Mini Failure is about the hydrogen embrittlement failure at the Cheesegrater building in London, UK. 3,000 very large bolts making up the exoskeleton of the cheesegrater were significantly weakened by the introduction of hydrogen during manufacturing.

Original Air Date: May 28, 2023

Episode Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/122_Leadenhall_Street https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-hydrogen-embrittlement#:~:text=Hydrogen%20Embrittlement%20occurs%20when%20metals,the%20microstructure%20of%20the%20material. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/14/cheesegrater-leadenhall-building-bolt-city-london#:~:text=Tests%20conducted%20by%20the%20contractor,to%20suffer%20from%20technical%20problems. https://constructionmanagement.co.uk/all-you-ne2ed-know-ab4out-chee5segrater-bolts/

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