Tullamarine Freeway sign may have fallen due to sustained wind pressure, engineering experts sayhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-16/melbourne-tullamarine-freeway-sign-what-caused-it-to-fall/10712782Amin Heidarpour, who is the head of Monash University's Structural Engineering Group, said only a thorough investigation could provide a definitive explanation, but "fatigue loading" from the wind was a likely factor."[It] may cause fatigue in the bolts, in the connections, in the structural elements itself, and fatigue may cause some kind of a micro-crack in these elements, such that one strong wind happens and that micro-crack can become a real crack," he said."The sign has been supported from one side, while the other side, the top side, is free.He said he was confident that the signs would have been designed according to Australian standards, but said new science suggested that climate change is leading to stronger winds and more intense conditions.
