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The Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers Florida underwent a $1.1 Billion expansion in the second phase of the airport’s reconstruction project. The airport expansion was an effort to accommodate an expected growth in passenger traffic, and was led by the Lee County Port Authority. The first phase of the project was a $331 million expansion on the airport terminal. The second phase of this project looks to accommodate 10,000-15,000 travelers daily. GRL Engineers provided integrity testing on the auger cast in place piles which would be the foundation of the new structures.

The YWCA of Toledo wanted to add 11,000+ sf of usable space by installing a foundation through the existing basement swimming pool to support two new floors. Due to low clearance restrictions within the building structure, micropiles were used in the initial foundation design. The specialty contractor realized potential cost savings by utilizing helical piles for the foundation and provided a redesign. GRL Engineers used a dynamic load testing system, known as APPLE to confirm the helical pile capacity.

The Illinois office of GRL Engineers provided various testing services for major highway, I-69. Dynamic Load Testing with CAPWAP Analyses was utilized to monitor pile driving during installation. Static Load Testing was implemented on test piles to assess pile capacities, and integrity methods such as Crosshole Sonic Logging, Thermal Integrity Profiling, and Low Strain Integrity Testing were utilized to assess drilled shaft foundations.

Establishing a comprehensive understanding of the soil and foundation was pertinent to the construction of the new Corvallis Van Buren Bridge. GRL Engineers were hired to analyze the foundation’s capacity using Bi-Directional Static Load Testing services. Additionally, Drilled Shaft Verticality was assessed prior to concrete installation. Thermal Integrity Profiling was utilized to monitor concrete curing and identify potential anomalies. Crosshole Sonic Logging was utilized when a thermal wire did not record data.

This program utilized a variety of testing methods. Static Load Testing was performed as well as Dynamic Load Testing using an APPLE system. Thermal Integrity Profiling and Low Strain Integrity Testing services were provided to assess concrete. CAPWAP Analyses were utilized to review capacity.

GRL performed Drilled Shaft Verticality Assessment, Shaft Base Cleanliness Assessment, as well as Bi-Directional Static Load Testing (“BDSLT”) services. A multi-level jack assembly configuration increased the complexity of shaft installation requirements, load test execution, and test data analyses. Thermal Integrity Profiling was also utilized during concrete curing to measure thermal data every 15 minutes.

GRL Engineers proposed Dynamic Load Testing on micropiles for the Van Wyck Expressway. The initial micropiles were damaged and Thermal Integrity Profiling was utilized to assess the integrity of the alternate piles. CAPWAP Analysis was also provided after testing to further evaluate static pile capacity.

GRL Engineers performed Thermal Integrity Profiling on the Seattle Center Arena, also known as the Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first net zero certified arena.

In this case study the $118 Million interchange reconfiguration was initiated to create a smoother, more efficient transition for heavy airport traffic flow on the Beachline Expressway.

APPLE Load Testing Systems are available with a range of modular weights from 1 to 80 tons.

APPLE Dynamic Load Testing Systems are an attractive alternative to static testing of any deep foundation and are designed to activate a large range of test loads.

GRL Engineers use Thermal Integrity Profiling (TIP) to assess concrete quality of drilled shafts, augered cast in place (ACIP), micropiles and other concrete foundations. TIP Testing can be done remotely via the Cloud with a GRL Engineer assessing thermal data in real-time.