Page 8 - CCD-Mag-Summer-Fall-2020
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 CTL|Thompson Adds Full-scale Grillage
Testing to Accredited Testing Capabilities
Fort Collins office invented new equipment to accommodate products and testing loads
 CTL|Thompson, a full-service geotechnical, structural, environmental and materials engineering firm, is now conducting full-scale tests on several models of steel pile cap products, often referred to as grillages, thanks to the ingenuity of its Accredited Testing Team located in the Fort Collins office.
The testing experts conceived an innovative testing plan and new-to-the-industry equipment that
uses load application “masts” to apply test loads
to pile caps. The testing masts are fabricated with 18-foot-long, 12-inch-diameter pipe that is filled with concrete to provide dead weight and stiffness.
Concrete ballast weights are added to the sides of the masts to add weight to meet the axial load requirement.
In the pilot testing program, CTL experts mounted samples of the grillage products on the tops of 3-inch, hollow, square tube helical piles. The grillage samples were instrumented with 8 dial indicators and multiple strain gauges, which collected and reduced troves of rich data to guide installation.
The newly-engineered masts applied loads of up to 80,000- ft-lb with axial loads of 4,000 pounds and keeping applied shear loads below 2,000 pounds. Testing also included
ongoing magnetic particle testing and visual inspection of all welds to identify formation of cracks in the welds. The combination
of testing criteria resulting in a unique and significant data set that was collected, reduced, and provided to the client for their use.
Accredited as a 17025
testing laboratory in
2008 by the International
Accreditation Service, the
accredited testing laboratory team at CTL|Thompson has been actively involved supporting the fabricated foundation industries. The Fort Collins lab is supported by CTL’s materials testing lab, one of the only of its kind in the U.S., a full-service, full-scale field installation and testing team, and an experienced engineering design support staff. For more information on CTL|Thompson’s accredited testing and inspection services, please visit their website at https://www.ctlthompson.com/testing.
 Gilmore-Abo Team Receives Award from the Design Build Institute of America
Gilmore Construction is pleased to announce their Design Build team has received the National Award of Merit in Rehabilitation, Renovation and/or Restoration from the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) for the General Services Administration (GSA) Building 67 Consolidation and Renovation project.
Building 67, constructed in 1967, is the tallest structure on the 623-acre Denver Federal Center Campus. At 14 stories, it holds a prominent position in the surrounding campus landscape. The building’s 372,000 square feet of office and support space house the Social Security Administration, the Office of Natural Resources, the Bureau of Safety
and Environmental Enforcement, the US Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). Managing water in the West since 1902, the Bureau of Reclamation
is the primary tenant that was increasing density from approximately 800 to 1,040 employees. The renovation provided the opportunity to consolidate staff occupying
8 | Colorado Construction & Design
335,000 square feet and reduce space usage to 180,000 square feet (56% reduction) while remaining fully operational and occupied during construction.
The Gilmore-Abo Design-Build team is a core group of Small, Minority-Owned businesses and 8A certified firms. Although not required by contract, more 15 of 27 trade partners were small businesses. Joining the core team were IA Interior Architects and RMH Group.
“The success of any design-build project starts with
the owner,” said Jake Gilmore, president of Gilmore.
“The GSA’s commitment to Design Excellence, which encouraged the use of DBIA best practices, demonstrated deep commitment to training and education around key principals that led to every team member’s success for the Building 67 project. It’s an honor to be recognized for the hard work and dedication that went into the delivery of this quality project for the GSA.”
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