high performance - The Schulich School of Engineering - University ...

Data from three-dimensional laser scans are the key to saving the 186 carvingson Australia’s historic Ross Bridge.Photo courtesy Debra Spohn“The way we design new structures mustaccount for future climate change,” saysDavid Lapp, Manager of ProfessionalPractice with Engineers Canada. “Ourexisting infrastructure has been designedand built using historical climate data.With the climate changing withinthe service life of the infrastructure,those data become less valid, puttingthe infrastructure at increased risk tonegative impacts from climate change.”Laser scanning is used in a range ofapplications including medical imagingand monitoring the deterioration ofinfrastructure such as bridges, dams,even industrial machinery.Lichti co-founded Scanalyse, an Australiancompany that developed the world’s firstsystem to use 3-D laser scanning to detectthe amount of wear on the internal linersof grinding mills at mine sites. One of thecompany’s processes, MillMapper, providesa way to check the condition of the linerswhile reducing shutdown time. Scanalysewon the title of Western Australia’s Inventorof the Year in 2007 and its technology isnow used around the world.Since the beginning of time, structuresof all sorts have been created with theintention that they would do a decent jobof withstanding everyday wear and tear andlast long into the future. New methods arecontinuously being developed to maintainthe integrity of existing structures andimprove the performance of new ones.“Engineers and companies are alwaystrying to push the envelope and improveon materials and solutions,” says Vic Perry,Vice-President and General Manager ofDuctal at Lafarge North America, aninternational supplier of constructionmaterials like cement, concrete and asphalt.Lafarge recently developed Ductal, a fibrereinforcedconcrete that is much strongerthan conventional concrete. Ductal has easedmore than a few headaches, particularly forroad engineers who are taunted by the forcesof Mother Nature and the deterioration thatgoes hand-in-hand with heavy traffic.“Typical bridge decks are notorious forhaving maintenance issues,” explains Perry.“Trucks are constantly passing over them,there’s de-icing salt in the winter, freezingand thawing. Over time, cracks developand the salt starts to corrode the steelrebar and it expands.” Ductal is Lafarge’ssolution to minimize those problems.Because of its dense composition, Ductalcan be used in smaller amounts thanconventional concrete. That means abeam in a bridge, for example, would bethinner and lighter. Ductal can also reduceor eliminate the need for reinforcing systemsthat use steel rebar or high-strength cablesin the same bridge design.“We end up with better durability, longerlifespans and structures that require lessmaintenance.”Perhaps at no time in history have durabilityand longevity been more of a priority thanthey are now. Governments and the privatesector have been pouring billions into aseemingly endless pit of aging infrastructure.Engineers andcompanies are alwaystrying to push theenvelope and improveon materials andsolutions.This issue is top-of-mind at EngineersCanada, which has a national committeecalled the Public InfrastructureEngineering Vulnerability Committee.The committee studies the impactsand estimates the risks of the changingclimate on infrastructure in Canada.The aim is to identify potentialvulnerabilities and make engineeringrecommendations for remedial actionssuch as adjustments to engineeringpractices as well as infrastructure designcodes, standards, and procedures relatingto operations and maintenance.It all boils down to building moreresilient structures to withstand thebrutality of both blizzards and the hotsummer sun, wind and rain, and endlessfreeze-thaw cycles. >>Raafat El-Hacha examines the damage to a masonryblock caused by a month’s worth of experiments in theenvironmental testing chamber.Photo by David MollSCHULICH22 ENGINEERSCHULICH 23 ENGINEER