Developing a Special Inspection "Like" Testing Program for Welded DBA

Structural Engineering general discussion
#1

I’m a review engineer for some curtain wall embeds coming out of China and getting installed into a concrete tower in Seattle. To no one’s surprise:

  1. No mill certifications for the steel plate or the deformed bar anchors (DBA).

  2. No special inspection performed on the DBA welds.

We have #1 in hand but #2 has raised some questions for us. We would like to develop some manner of testing program that can be done on the DBA welds and would be equivalent to what normal special inspection would be for these things. We’re thinking something similar to how nelson studs are bent over to test their welds.

So my questions are theses:

  1. How ought DBA welds be tested? What manner and what frequency?

  2. How are DBA welds normally specially inspected? Visual? And to what frequency?

To be honest, I’m surprised that elements as minor as this receive special inspection but that’s not my call to make. However, it seems that determining whether or not this, after the fact, testing program is adequate IS my call to make.

#2

Koot:

As a practicing SE in the Seattle area, I would like to know what tower this is.

Also, is the engineer of record for the tower itself KPFF or Magnusson Klemenic? Whomever it is, I assume they are in the loop on this.

Sounds like the bad wood fiasco out of Canada back in the 80’s.

#3

Just a heads up… for a major Airport reno in Manitoba, we had material certifications for the piping… the only thing that changed was the sample number.

The piping failed at 1/10 the pressure it should have.

Dik

#4

Thanks for that Dik. Not… encouraging.

#5

@KootK:

I assume you already contacted the EOR on this issue… And, possibly, Seattle DCLU?

#6

@MSQUARED48: I bowed out of the project altogether.

@dik: sorry for bringing this back up after so long. Somehow I got turned around and thought your comment was recent.