Choosing the wrong material can have dire consequences. In this episode of our failure series, we discuss how the incorrect choice of epoxy led to a catastrophic failure and a tragic death. Discover the series of poor decisions that turned a new highway plan into one of the costliest public works projects ever. Join us as we uncover the lessons learned from this devastating event and the changes it inspired.

Selected References:

• The Big Dig: project background [LINK]


• Control of Epoxy Creep Using Graphene [LINK]


• Forensic Engineering Applied to Failures in Concrete Polymer Materials [LINK]

This Materialism Podcast is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more

This episode of the Materialism Podcast is sponsored by Cal Nano, leading experts in spark plasma sintering and cryomilling technologies. You can learn more about their work and services by visiting their website.

Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!

If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.

Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks , Andrew Falkowski and, Jared Duffy

Keywords: The Big dig Tunnel Failure Underground Highway Epoxy Creep Boston Massachusetts