Location
Chicago, Illinois
Date
02 May 2013, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Abstract
Adoption of new technologies and a push for money-saving value engineering designs may produce unpredictable and unwanted results. Particularly with shrinking budgets, proposals that reduce initial costs become more appealing. However, without careful consideration and implementation, cost-reducing measures can become more expensive in the end. This paper presents a case study of geostructural forensic analysis related to the failure of a helical anchor tie-down system selected to support an Olympic size swimming pool against hydrostatic uplift forces. The selection of helical anchors over a more expensive traditional anchorage system appeared to be a smart value engineering decision for the project’s design-build construction team. However, structural failure occurred soon after construction. A review of design and construction documents revealed a myriad of mistakes leading to the failure and very costly repair of the pool’s bottom slab. The demolition and consequent restoration of the slab triggered the forensic study. The geostructural forensic analysis initially focused on the tension capacity of the anchorage system. However, review of design data indicated several critical mistakes at the anchor-to-concrete slab connections. Moreover, issues with final installation elevation, which were overlooked in the original design and construction, necessitated the need for field modification of the connection. A step-by-step summary of the forensic analysis of the tie-down support system failure is presented herein.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
7th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2013 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Labuda, Tom; Corley, Gene W.; and Murphy, Michael, "Failure Investigation of a Helical Anchor Tie-Down System Supporting an Olympic Size Swimming Pool" (2013). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 10.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/7icchge/session08/10
Failure Investigation of a Helical Anchor Tie-Down System Supporting an Olympic Size Swimming Pool
Chicago, Illinois
Adoption of new technologies and a push for money-saving value engineering designs may produce unpredictable and unwanted results. Particularly with shrinking budgets, proposals that reduce initial costs become more appealing. However, without careful consideration and implementation, cost-reducing measures can become more expensive in the end. This paper presents a case study of geostructural forensic analysis related to the failure of a helical anchor tie-down system selected to support an Olympic size swimming pool against hydrostatic uplift forces. The selection of helical anchors over a more expensive traditional anchorage system appeared to be a smart value engineering decision for the project’s design-build construction team. However, structural failure occurred soon after construction. A review of design and construction documents revealed a myriad of mistakes leading to the failure and very costly repair of the pool’s bottom slab. The demolition and consequent restoration of the slab triggered the forensic study. The geostructural forensic analysis initially focused on the tension capacity of the anchorage system. However, review of design data indicated several critical mistakes at the anchor-to-concrete slab connections. Moreover, issues with final installation elevation, which were overlooked in the original design and construction, necessitated the need for field modification of the connection. A step-by-step summary of the forensic analysis of the tie-down support system failure is presented herein.
