If you want to understand the importance of proper bolting in civil engineering and bridge construction, spend some time reading about what happened to the Bay Bridge in California in 2013.

According to the Los Angeles Times, 32 bolts on the bridge snapped during tightening in March of that year, “leaving the seismic safety of the massive endeavor in question.”

These thick steel bolts connect the deck of the bridge to its “sheer keys” which control movement of the bridge during an earthquake.

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