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Road and workshop by Handyman
Page 74
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Loads and forces (17)
• The ability to maintain a continuous high speed over many miles is breeding its own particular range of situations and hazards, and in previous articles I have dealt witlload spill and roundabout dangers. However, further loading precautions are called for to guard against quite new happenings. I refer now to bundles of rod or flat bar, whether painted or oiled, and in particular to the individual rod or bar that will begin to move rearwards from its bundle, despite apparently tight steel bands or other lashings.
This phenomena is now quite common and can commence on a motorway, where a steady vibration period in the vehicle can affect one rod or bar, causing it to vibrate in sympathy and begin to work rearwards to such an extent that after 40 miles or so, some 10ft. of steel may be poking out from the bundle over the rear of the body. If it sags down it may draw attention to itself, but if it remains sticking straight out unbent it can remain unnoticed until some car or other vehicle becomes "spiked" on it, perhaps in town traffic or car park.
Rod in bundles is now being transported in considerable quantities, for many purposes, from rough material for reinforced concrete, toughened steel for the motor industry, polished and stainless steel for other needs in industry, rod being the handiest form whether straight or coiled. The only answer to this unusual movement of one rod is to muzzle the end of each bundle firmly with sacking, and then lash forward.
There is no doubt that once a rod has started to move outwards, it is helped on its way progressively by the pressure of the bundle closing together behind it, and kept on the move by a combination of vibration and high forward speed. As this particular item can easily be the cause of death or serious injury, careful attention should be paid to preventing any initial movement by muzzling each bundle thoroughly.
In a recent incident, a car drew to a stop behind a vehicle at a surburban traffic light after dark, and one single rod protruding 9ft. rearwards went through the car screen into the driver's neck. The driver took 13 months to recover, and subsequently lost his job through speech difficulty.
Whereas, the rod incident is something that should not happen but did, the reason for seven steam valves being dumped on M1 at 60 mph is a little easier to understand, as during loading one or two significant features had been missed. The part load of 22in. diameter steam valves, flanged at both ends and weighing 1,-icwt each, were stacked quite evenly and level at the rear of a trailer platform; light soft rope had been passed through two holes in each top flange and drawn tight during loading, the rope ends being hitched tightly and secured to two rope hooks on each side of the vehicle. In fact one rope served for both lacing and lashing and to all intents and purposes was then a secure load.
However, despite taking considerable pains to make a good job, the loader had missed two significant points: (a) a single rope had been used for both lacing and lashing several items, which should never be allowed; lb) the machined faces of the flanges had razor-sharp edges at the bolt holes. Under hitch tension the rope was cut through, which released both lacing and lashing, the valves leaving the platform over the rear and presenting a hazard to following traffic, fortunately without incident on this occasion.