Precast Solutions - September/October 2008 - (Page 26) producers are now discovering that quality control doesn’t cost – it pays. A. Spending 11 years in a precast plant has proven invaluable to me in providing my clients with quality service, because I fully understand their products and Q. DOES OUR INDUSTRY HAVE ANY how they are made. CURRENT DISADVANTAGES? A. There are very few impediments for growth in this industry as long as it keeps its eye on the ball. Competing materials will take advantage of any perceived weaknesses, especially in quality. Also, codes and standards are an issue that will need continuing attention. The process of updating codes and standards is slow and very often does not keep pace with changes in technology. I also find that many specifying engineers and agencies are using outdated boiler plate specifications that are severely out of touch with current precast products. Q. HOW DOES PRECAST CONCRETE STACK UP IN RELATION TO COMPETING SYSTEMS? A. We all know the obvious advantages of precast concrete in terms of quality, durability and speed of construction. Life-cycle costs for precast will generally outweigh less expensive alternatives. Lead time for manufacturing can be a draw-back on some projects, but this can easily be handled if the process is better understood and planned for. Q. WHAT Q. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION? A. We consider Delta as more than just a provider of services. We are very much a part of the industry; it gives me the opportunity to work directly with producers, associations and other suppliers to improve the industry as a whole. IS THE MOST EXCITING PROJECT YOU HAVE WORKED ON? A. One of the more interesting projects that we had the opportunity to work on was the Tuscany Reserve Bridge project in Naples, Florida. The bridge is a five-span arch structure, which is the showcase and centerpiece for this upscale community. Q. CAN Q. IS THERE A PARTICULAR AREA WHERE YOU FEEL YOU COULD USE MORE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE? A. There are certainly a number of areas where I could use more experience and knowledge. Load and resistance factor design (LRFD) is a topic that will require a great deal more attention over the next few years, particularly as it works its way into buried structures. Sustainable design is also a hot topic and will have wide interest. YOU SHARE ANY LESSONS ABOUT WHAT CAN GO WRONG IN PROJECT DESIGN? A. A project that illustrates the conflicts that can arise between the specifying engineer and specialty engineer involved a round precast concrete pump station for which we prepared buoyancy calculations for the precast supplier. The specifying engineer rejected our calculations on the basis that we did not consider the buoyancy effect at each joint. We were unable to convince the reviewer that the buoyant force can only be applied to the bottom of the base slab (the specifying engineer insisted that we were looking at the problem from an engineering perspective, when it was really a physics problem analogous to a helium balloon) and the contractor was forced to mechanically attach each of the riser sections together with heavy steel straps at a considerable loss of time and expense. The lesson here is that even though a specifier may leave Q. WHAT POSITION? EXPERIENCE/TRAINING the design of a product up to the producer (or his specialty engineer), there is no guarantee that even a proper design will be accepted. BEST SERVES YOU IN YOUR 26 PRECAST SOLUTIONS | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
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