In a follow-up to its initial rebuttal of National Transportation Safety Board findings, Powers Fasteners cited new documents indicating that the agency
CP STAFF
In a follow-up to its initial rebuttal of National Transportation Safety Board findings, Powers Fasteners cited new documents indicating that the agency responsible for the Interstate 90 connector tunnel knew about the epoxy adhesive’s creep characteristics before the suspended ceiling was installed. That information prompted the manufacturer’s formal request on July 23 that the NTSB correct its findings on the ceiling collapse. In a July 10 hearing highlighting its investigation, the federal agency linked the accident to the fact that project officials were not aware of the creep characteristics of the epoxy used in the ceiling anchors.
Along with the July 23, 2007, letter to the NTSB, Powers provided documents showing that: a) in June 1999, before the epoxy was used to anchor the ceiling bolts to the I-90 tunnel roof, the company had advised the Massachusetts Highway Department that (Powers’) fast set epoxy had not passed creep tests; and, b) Powers further had advised MHD that all fast-setting epoxies did not meet the elevated temperature test used at the time to measure creep by a significant margin, thus the (Powers) fast set product had accordingly been approved for short-term loading only.