Precast Solutions - March/April 2008 - (Page 24)

TECH BRIEF CONCRETE TESTING ON A GRAND SCALE CONSTRUCTION FOR A TEXAS-SIZED ENGINEERING RESEARCH FACILITY IS UNDERWAY. BY EVAN GURLEY AND RON HYINK PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON 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 A t 84,000 square feet, the Center for Structural Engineering Research (CSER) at the University of Texas at Arlington will be 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. The Center is expected to be completed by 2009 at a projected cost of $34 million. Hanson Pipe & Precast donated more than three acres of land at the corner of Interstate 30 and MacArthur Boulevard in Dallas County valued at more than $700,000. Hanson has also agreed to donate concrete and other materials for construction, which will be maximized in the construction of the facility. BENEFITS The facility will allow testing for all full-scale precast concrete elements and systems. Since precast producers have not had extensive research performed 24 PRECAST SOLUTIONS | MARCH/APRIL 2008

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Precast Solutions - March/April 2008 Contents Smooth Move Riding the Waves Comparing RCP With Plastic Pipe Cost-Value Analysis of Storm Sewer Pipe Concrete Testing On a Grand Scale Building Confidence

Precast Solutions - March/April 2008

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