The new year is well underway, and I am hopeful that 2019 will hold great things for this chapter. It’s my privilege to serve as Secretary for 2019, and I must thank Emily for her enthusiastic job last year.
We kicked off the new year with a joint presentation by Casey Jones, PE, and Daniel Pearson, PE, of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE). Casey and Daniel presented on a recent modernization program for Barbours Cut Container Terminal, which is located just outside of La Porte and is the busiest port in the US in terms of foreign tonnage (second in overall tonnage).
In addition to extending the service life of the terminal, upgrades to the facility include replacing the existing cranes with larger, post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes.
Casey provided a brief overview of the fundamentals of service life modeling and various methods of cathodic protection, and then discussed unique aspects of this particular facility and how his team addressed the challenges of extending the service life of various concrete elements.
Daniel presented on the structural modifications of the wharf so as to handle the loads associated with the new gantry cranes. His team’s efforts included using complex strut-and-tie models to design a retrofit. Special consideration had to be given to constructability due to the large size and quantity of reinforcing steel.
In other news, please look out for a survey we intend to send out before the February seminar. We would like to get your input on various topics so we can organize this chapter to meet the needs of its members. Stay tuned in for upcoming announcements for our February seminar on blast design of glazing, presented by Simpson Gumpertz & Heger!
