The PEs in Construction Group of NYSSPE will host a presentation by Structural Technologies on the topic of Techniques to Reinforce Concrete Structures And Increase Structural Capacity.   The presentation will be held on Tuesday, March 13th at 6:00pm at McLaren Engineering in West Nyack, NY.  To RSVP and for more info about the presentation, go to:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F88B3JR

There are many factors that create the need for strengthening, reinforcing and increasing the load capacity of concrete structures. They include construction and design errors, increase in live load, new code requirements, low concrete strength, voids created during concrete placement, new penetrations and prevention of progressive collapse from blast loads.

Structural strengthening projects may utilize traditional materials such as conventional cement-based and steel materials as well as advanced composite materials (FRP’s) that are commonly used for aerospace applications. The techniques used to design and install these materials for upgrade applications are not common to the engineering and general construction industry which can make strengthening projects even more challenging and complex than new construction.

Factors (among others) affecting the performance or capacity of reinforced concrete

• New Loads – change in use
• Construction or design errors
• Missing, misplaced or damaged reinforcement
• Voids or Honeycombs created during concrete placement
• Cutting of new penetrations that affect existing reinforcement
• Low strength concrete

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The PEs in Construction Group (PEC) awarded a Certificate of Appreciation to William H. Fitzjohn, PE, PhD, in honor of his exemplary dedication and leadership as an educator, mentor and instructor for professional engineers in the field of special inspections of steel and concrete construction and for his contributions as a member of the Queens Chapter of NYSSPE. Presenting the award were Rudi Sherbansky, PE on behalf of the PEs in Construction Group and Steve Grogg, PE of McLaren Engineering, President of the Rockland Chapter of NYSSPE.

The Certificate of Appreciation was presented during a lecture by Dr. Fitzjohn on the topic of Concrete Mix Design which was given at McLaren Engineering on Tuesday February 13th, 2018. Approximately 50 engineers attended the 2-PDH event. Dr. Fitzjohn has extensive experience covering construction materials engineering, concrete mix designs, materials testing and special inspections, and quality management systems. He holds a BSCE (Honors) from Manchester University, UK, and a PhD in Civil Engineering/Ceramic Science from the University of Leeds, UK. In addition, he is a licensed professional engineer in the states of California and New York and has numerous certifications in concrete inspection and testing from ACI and ICC.

The Concrete Mix Design presentation provided guidance on technical aspects required to verify the effective use of concrete mix designs with primary emphasis on NYC Building Code provisions. Topics discussed included: DOB Concrete Testing Requirements, what’s in a concrete mix design, comprehending what a TR3 is, understanding the mix design review process, comprehending relevant ASTM job specifications and NYC Building Code provisions, verifying whether a concrete batch ticket matches an approved TR3 mix design and recognizing interpretations of complex code requirements. There was also good information for engineers who review mix designs for conformance with their specifications prior to submittal of TR3 mix designs to DOB for approval.

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