A Halifax Port Authority tenant purchased new ship-to-shore container cranes. The wharf was extended several times between 1969 and 2010. The new crane wheel loads exceeded the allowable wheel loads on the existing girders. The port authority was faced with the possibility of reinforcing the majority of the girders.
Liftech analyzed the girders and estimated the girder capacity for shear, flexure, concrete bearing, and pile bearing. The capacities of a significant portion of the girders were governed by shear, as calculated with conventional analysis.
Liftech further analyzed these girders using strut-and-tie model analysis as permitted by the concrete design code, and justified up to 70% higher shear capacity. With the advanced analysis, girder reinforcing was limited to only a short span, resulting in significant cost savings for our client.
The figure above shows the concrete girder as a strut-and-tie model.
Reference:
Halifax Port Authority
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada