Rehabilitation of Wharf 3 At Barbours Cut Terminal
Presented By: Jeff West, PhD, PE, F.ACI, Wiss Janney Elstner Associates, Inc.
Abstract:
Barbours Cut Terminal is one of two container ports operated by the Port of Houston Authority (PHA). The strategic asset management plans for this terminal include a multi-project program to rehabilitate the existing wharf structures to address corrosion-related deterioration, and to convert the container gantry cranes from 50 foot gauge to 100 foot gauge rails to accommodate new, larger container ships. This presentation will discuss the rehabilitation of Wharf 3 at Barbours Cut Terminal, one of six 1,000 foot long wharves at the Terminal. The project involved an in-depth assessment of the existing wharf structure and associated repair design. As well, a retrofit design was developed to accommodate the larger gantry cranes, which involved demolition of a portion of the existing structure and construction of two new crane beams to support the crane rails. The design of the new structural elements included several challenges, including the very significant gantry crane loads and integration of the new elements with the existing structure of the wharf. Both the repair design and the new construction used service life modelling to develop a corrosion protection plan to meet the PHA design requirement to extend the expected life of the structure by 50 years. The presentation will provide an overview of the entire rehabilitation design process for this maritime asset.
Bio:
Jeff West, PhD, PE, is an Associate Principal in the Austin office of Wiss Janney Elstner Associates, Inc. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in structural engineering and materials research and consulting. His primary areas of expertise include the evaluation and strengthening of existing structures, structural testing, durability of concrete structures, post-tensioned structures and concrete materials.
Prior to joining WJE, Dr. West was a professor of civil engineering at the University of Waterloo (Canada) for 15 years, with research interests in composite construction, structural strengthening and materials engineering. He has more than one hundred technical publications in refereed journals and conferences. Dr. West is a fellow of the American Concrete Institute, and is a past Chair of Committee 224 (Cracking), past Secretary of Committee 437 (Strength Evaluation of Existing Structures), and a member of Committee 222 (Corrosion).
