The discovery of alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete structures at the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant (Seabrook) was first documented case of ASR at any U.S. nuclear facility. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) required Seabrook...
Storrow Drive, a parkway along the Charles River in Boston, carries more than 100,000 vehicles per day. The tunnels provide access to city streets, and are constructed of reinforced concrete sections with concrete-slab roofs that are supported by...
The Homestead Hills development comprises 178 one- and two-story, wood-framed homes constructed between 2005 and 2010. Shortly after construction, homeowners reported cracked drywall, displaced concrete flatwork, and deflected and damaged...
In 2014, a five-story residence was constructed directly over DC Water’s North East Boundary Trunk Sewer (NEBTS) with only about 2 ft of soil between the bottom of the basement and the top of the 22-ft dia. masonry sewer. DC Water...
As required by the City of Boston, The Carillon’s condominium association undertook an inspection of the building’s facade. SGH performed the inspection, identifying cracks in the glass fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels along...
Constructed in the early 1980s by the Arizona Public Service Company, the water reclamation supply system at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Plant consists of thirty-six miles of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP), with diameters ranging...
Authorized by the Second Congress and President George Washington, construction of the Montauk Lighthouse at the eastern end of Long Island was completed in 1796. The octagonal lighthouse suffered from chronic leakage and numerous repairs...
After constructing the first 1.5 mi of the Stroube Drain cast-in-place, reinforced concrete box culvert, the owner discovered the design did not consider live loads for the most severe traffic orientation. The owner wanted to know if cracking...
During February 2011, heavy snowfall with a sustained period of below-freezing temperatures resulted in significant snow accumulation in the northeast United States. SGH investigated reported fractures in glue-laminated (glulam) timber roof beams...
SGH served as a special consultant to Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Capital Construction to help them with concrete and waterproofing issues at their facilities. As part of our work, SGH investigated widespread cracking and water leakage...
A long performance history dating to the time of the Romans shows that concrete can be a very long-lasting material that requires very little routine maintenance. However, concrete is not invincible.
Hosted by Chapman Construction, SGH's Emily Hopps recently gave a presentation on flooring failures. Multiple failures of many different floor finishes applied to concrete floor slabs have become more common over the past several...
Abstract: Recently, alkali-silica reaction (ASR), one of the common causes of concrete deterioration, was discovered at the NextEra Energy Seabrook Station nuclear power plant (...
By: Robert Holland, In, Chi-Won, Kim, Jin-Yeon, Kurtis, Kimberly E., Kahn, Lawrence F., Jacobs, Laurence J.
Abstract: The progression of self-healing of cracked concrete is monitored in situ by diffuse ultrasound, in a novel application of this technique. The diffuse ultrasonic measurements are conducted on uncracked, tensile through-thickness cracked...
Abstract: A failure investigation of a historic unreinforced masonry arch bridge with two 11.3 m (37 ft) span arches is presented. The unreinforced masonry arches were 7.0 m (23 ft) wide with a rise of 2.0 m (6.5 ft) and consisted of uniformly...
Abstract: Exterior masonry wall construction evolved over the centuries from thick mass masonry walls to modern veneer systems with backup walls and cavities for drainage. Many early cavity wall systems of the 1960s and 1970s were designed with...
Abstract: Concrete structures rarely are crack free. Even properly designed and constructed concrete structures can develop cracks due to tensile stresses from restraint of volume changes and response to superimposed loads. Cracks in newly...
Abstract: Explicit mass concrete requirements are becoming more frequently addressed by specifications for highway foundations and thick mat foundations. They typically provide the cracking criteria as well as require a heat of hydration analysis...
Abstract: Built in 1963 on the Miami, FL, waterfront, Miami Marine Stadium features a concrete hyperbolic paraboloid roof, one of the longest non-truss cantilever roof spans in the world. About one-third of the stadium is built over the water on...