Why Is Special Inspection Good For Us?

1. Why Is Special Inspection Good For Us?

2. Agenda • Brief history of testing and Special Inspection • Notable past failures • Notable present-day failures • Less dramatic, but more common failures

3. Materials Testing, A Brief History • Post-Civil War: engineers identify the need to better understand physical properties • 1870’s: Riehle Brothers manufacture compression testing machines • 1880: Tinius Olsen invents the Little Giant universal testing machine

4. Materials Testing, A Brief History • 1898: American Society for Testing and Materials is formed to address frequent breaks in rail lines • 1901: A1 standard on steel rails • 1909: first cement and concrete standards • 1920’s: first road and paving standards • 1930’s: first masonry standards • 1930’s: first soil standards

5. Skyline Towers, Arlington, VA, 1973 • 14 people die • Caused by removal of shoring before adequate concrete strength is reached

6. Hartford Civic Center Roof Collapse, 1978 • Caused by design and construction changes Space Frame Roof Detail

7. Hartford Civic Center Angle Connection Details As Designed As Built

8. Kemper Arena Roof Collapse, Kansas City, 1979 • Caused by inadequate roof drains • Ponding water on roof • Miscalculated hanger bolt strengths

9. Harbor Cay Condominiums, FL, 1981 • 11 People die • Engineering errors • Thin slabs • Improper rebar placement

10. Hyatt Regency Skywalk Collapse, Kansas City, 1981 • 114 people die • Caused by construction changes without engineering review

11. U.S. House Sub-Committee on Science and Technology • 1982 studies structural failures • 1984 presents report of findings • Need for improved communications during the construction process • Need for construction inspection

12. L’Ambiance Plaza, Bridgeport, CT, 1987 • 28 people die • Stacked slab construction • Unknown exact cause

13. and…..Special Inspections is Born • 1988 Special Inspections adopted in BOCA • 2000 Chapter 17 of the IBC was created from the legacy codes (UBC, BOCA, SBC) + + =

14. IBC, Section 1704 – Special Inspections • Required by code • Special Inspector must be qualified • Special Inspector must be approved by the Building Official • Special Inspector must be hired by the owner or his direct representative (such as SE or architect)

15. World Trade Center Collapse, 2001 • 2,752 people die • Substandard fireproofing is a major contributor

16. McGuire Apartments, Seattle, Built 2002 • Improperly sealed PT cables • Corroded cables, cracked concrete, structural integrity of entire structure compromised • Demolished in 2011

17. I-35 Bridge CollapseMinneapolis, 2007 • 13 people die • Under-designed gusset plates • Weight from additional 2” deck concrete (>5 million lbs.) • 578,000 lbs. construction equipment and materials

18. Harmon Tower, Las Vegas • “Completed” in 2008 • Missing critical rebar • Reduced from 49 to 28 stories • Scheduled for demolition

19. Block 7, Lotus Riverside, Shanghai, 2009 • Unsupported garage excavation • Saturated soils • 1 person dies

20. Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse, 2011 • 7 people die • Insufficient wind support

21. Masonry Problems

22. Form Mistakes

23. When Welds Go Bad

24. More Masonry Problems

25. Concrete Consolidation Problems

26. So … Why is Special Inspection Required? Because it saves time, money, … and lives.

27. Thank YouQuestions?