Precast Inc. - March/April 2008 - (Page 6)

T E C H N I C A L LY S P E A K I N G Concrete Testing on a Grand Scale Construction for a Texas-sized engineering research facility is underway. By NPCA Staff ments,” said Dr. Ali Abolmaali, associate professor of UTA Civil & Environmental Engineering division and director of the CSER. “This will be true for all precast elements.” The sheer size of the building will allow full-scale dynamic and static testing on bridge segments and other structural members. The facility will also simulate earthquakes, blast testing and harsh weather conditions, which will provide new insights to joint/connection behavior and help producers design for earthquake, storm and blast resistant elements. “Through the research performed at the CSER facility, precasters will have the information to design a product that is both safe and economical,” said Abolmaali. “This research will help precasters optimize production in all aspects.” The facility will have several multimillion dollar hydraulic actuators and other control devices, some as big as 200 tons, which will convert hydraulic power into useful linear, rotary or oscillatory mechanical motion. The actuators will exhibit highforce capability, high power-per-unit weight and volume, good mechanical stiffness and high dynamic response. It will include more than 50,000 square feet of reaction floor and research space, and more than 30,000 square feet of office, conference, classroom “Through the research performed at the CSER and support space. Also included will be office space for faculty, graduate facility, precasters will have the information to students and post-doctoral fellows. As a premier facility, the design calls design a product that is both safe and economical.” for an iconic and expressive structural presence. The exterior appearance provides a unique signature for the facility. The vaulted thin-shell The Center is expected to be completed by 2009 at a projected roof, cast-in-place vertical columns and projecting floor slabs cost of $34 million. Hanson Pipe & Precast donated more than express the structural properties of concrete in the design. The three acres of land at the corner of Interstate 30 and wall panels, the roof, and the vertical and horizontal shading MacArthur Boulevard in Dallas County valued at more than devices will all be made of precast concrete. $700,000. Hanson has also agreed to donate concrete and The building is designed to respond to the harsh Texas climate other materials for construction. and to be energy efficient. Since the reaction floor will be heated and ventilated, and not fully air-conditioned, sustainable Benefits design is especially critical. The dramatic roof form opens to Because very little testing has been performed on full-scale the north to admit indirect natural light and reduce lighting systems, precast manufacturers often design products conserenergy consumption while sloping downward to the south to vatively, using additional steel and more cement to ensure the prevent direct solar heat gain. The south-facing offices will products can meet current safety and structural standards. incorporate horizontal overhangs in the form of “This new facility will help optimize the design of precast elet 84,000 square feet, the Center for Structural Engineering Research (CSER) at the University of Texas at Arlington will be the largest structural/materials testing facility in the United States – and possibly the world. The mammoth facility, now under construction, will edge out Purdue University’s 66,000-square-foot Bowen Laboratory. The testing facility will likely attract top engineering researchers to UTA largely for the opportunity to carry out full-scale investigations. This is something that very few facilities in the world can offer. Engineers as well as the university will benefit from the testing facility in numerous ways. Engineers will be a step ahead of the field when analyzing full-scale structures, since analyzing small-scale structural models does not always reflect precise data on how the full-scale version will perform in real-world applications. The university itself is expected to gain national and international recognition, increased scholastic ratings and the ability to prepare a larger number of civil engineering students to meet increasing demand for a highly trained workforce. A 6 MARCH/APRIL 2008 | PRECAST INC.

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Precast Inc. - March/April 2008 Contents Technically Speaking Concrete Repairs Return-to-Work Programs Marketing in a New World Building Confidence Risk Management Culture Bloquea La Energia – Es Tu Vida! Lock It Out – It’s Your Life! Fiber Optics in Countertops MCPX Wrap-Up Product Profile People & Products Advertisers Index NPCA Calendar

Precast Inc. - March/April 2008

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