Evaluating Deteriorated Timber Marine Structures
Timber marine structures—such as wharves and piers—are especially vulnerable to long-term deterioration from repeated wave loading, biological attack, and limited repair access. As these structures age, owners often ask engineers to assess their condition and prioritize repair budgets in advance of known demolition timelines or major capital upgrades. In this webinar, we will present a case study based on a multi-year inspection program for a timber wharf with more than 1,000 piles. We’ll share how we tracked damage progression, estimated future damage using service life forecasting, and evaluated the remaining structural capacity of deteriorated piles by applying reliability methods. Finally, we’ll explain how these methods helped refine repair priorities by identifying them as urgent or safely deferred. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how to approach repair prioritization for aging marine infrastructure in a more data-driven and risk-informed way.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand how deterioration progresses in timber piles over time and the primary factors that contribute to damage in marine environments.
- Identify techniques for forecasting future pile deterioration using inspection data and service life modeling.
- Recognize strategies to prioritize and phase structural repairs based on urgency, redundancy, and demolition timing.
- Discuss how reliability methods can be applied to evaluate remaining capacity in damaged timber piles.
Participants will earn 1 AIA CES Learning Unit (LU/HSW) for attending the webinar. Registration is free. Please note that space is limited – email events@sgh.com to join our waitlist if the session is closed when you register.
About the Speaker
Rune Iversen specializes in floating and fixed near-shore and offshore structures and facilities, as well as coastal engineering. His experience has focused on inspection, condition assessment, rehabilitation, and design of mooring and berthing systems and marine structures. Rune is the chair of the ASCE-COPRI Berthing Velocities and Fender Design Task Committee; a member of PIANC MarCom Working Group 211 for Guidelines for the Design of Fender Systems and Working Group 231 for Mooring Bollards & Hooks: Selection, Maintenance, and Testing; and an active member of the ASCE-COPRI Ports and Harbors Committee, Waterfront Rehabilitation Committee, and Waterfront Inspection Committee. He is a contributing author to PIANC WG235, Ship Dimensions and Data for Design of Marine Infrastructure; PIANC WG 211, 2025 Fender Guidelines; and ASCE-COPRI Manual of Standard Practice 130 for Waterfront Facility Inspection and Assessment, the industry standard for the inspection and condition assessment of marine structures.
Dara Karac specializes in structural engineering for the evaluation, retrofit, and rehabilitation of existing structures, with a focus on marine oil terminals and waterfront facilities. Her experience includes seismic evaluation; nonlinear analysis; and design of code-compliant upgrades, repairs, and tenant improvements. She has contributed to projects involving the retrofit of pile-supported wharves, structural inspections in accordance with MOTEMS, and design development for both new and existing coastal infrastructure. Dara’s work spans all phases of project delivery—from condition assessment and analysis to construction support and field verification.
Rebecca Maloney specializes in inspection, new design, concept evaluations, and evaluation and repair of existing marine structures. Her projects include evaluating pile-supported structures subject to seismic hazards and mooring and berthing loads, designing upgrades for new equipment, performing structural inspections and condition assessments, and developing subsequent maintenance and repair plans.
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