Project Highlight: Crane Support Analysis

An Interview with Jeff Thoms, PE

Project: Crane Support Analysis for Pier 5 at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center
Client: Rhoads Marine Industries

Describe the project:
A Chiquita Cargo Ship required its on-board crane to be serviced. To do so, several cranes were required to be positioned on the pier to achieve the pick. One of these cranes, a 600T mobile crane, is the largest of its kind on the east coast. SSM was tasked with mapping the exact locations of the crane outriggers to ensure there were no impacts to the pier.

Next to Pier 5 is Drydock #2 for which SSM performs biennial inspections for the City of Philadelphia.  In this photo is the caisson that keeps the Delaware River out of the drydock.  This location happens to be the approach flight path for Philadelphia Int’l Airport.

What was the service SSM provided?
SSM has conducted thorough inspections of Pier 5, both outside, underneath and dive inspection oversight. We know this pier and what it’s capable of doing. SSM was provided with the crane loading information for the pick and marked the locations for cribbing on the peer.

What makes this project one of your favorites?
What inspired me about this project is depicted in the top photo. This is the kind of activity that this pier is meant for and to see it in action was awe-inspiring.

SSM continues design and engineering work for the pier through inspections and design of repairs.

Jeff Thoms, PE is a Senior Structural Engineer in SSM’s Facilities Division. He has been a part of the SSM team for 7 years. He’s a girl dad, a dog dad, and a winter-time fun connoisseur.

#ProblemSolved: Our Facilities Team is here to help. Send an email to Patrick McCoy, PE, LEED AP, CSDP at patrick.mccoy@ssmgroup.com or give a call to 610-898-3008

Preparing Your Facility for Winter

Winter, snowstorms, blizzards, warm hot chocolate, shoveling, sledding, snow days. They all feel like a world away. But believe it or not, Fall is the best time to prepare for the Winter. Don’t let your facility, or your people be caught off guard or unprepared for the first snowstorm or freezing weather. Making preparations in advance, and evaluating your facility's vulnerability will ensure that Winter is a breeze. (Pun intended).

Take some time to identify how winter usually hits your area, or the location of your building. Is your area typically hit hard in the winter? What types of things cause the most damage, stress, or concern through the winter months? Have you ever noticed or identified specific areas of winter-concern? These could include pronounced icicle formation, excess roof snow accumulation, doors not closing with temperature changes, areas of shade that ice for longer. Does your manufacturing process generate heat within the building? How have your existing systems functioned for you in the past few years?

Roof collapse is one of the most catastrophic losses during winter. In the recent past, this has had more impact on pre-engineered steel buildings, but it can also have an impact on stepped roofs where snow drifts can accumulate. In pre-engineered steel buildings, owners should monitor the displacement of the roof should a heavy snow storm affect the area, and have an action plan in place for snow removal. For buildings with flat or stepped roofs, ensure that roof drains are not blocked and are functioning properly. Finally, for older buildings, be on alert for combined snow and rain loads, as earlier buildings’ codes did not fully acknowledge this condition as a possible roof loading.

Possibly a less anticipated form of damage during winter occurs during extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures. This most often will affect manufacturing or process facilities that have operations shut down during the holidays, but this can also affect any area of a building with piping in close proximity to exterior walls. Of utmost importance during these cold snaps is to ensure that someone familiar with building operations is aware of the coming temperature swings.

Preparations should be in place for addressing damage to equipment or piping, especially fire protection systems. Finally, always maintain a consistent and reliable source of heat within the building during operation shut downs.

It is also important to observe the effects of sub-freezing temperatures on the building to build the base of knowledge for future remediation. If you notice significant or concentrated icicle formations, this is usually a sign of a poorly insulated roof, or possibly ineffective roof drains. This is a condition that warrants review so that more significant damage within the building envelope can be prevented. If you notice doors not closing properly or interior walls that crack during a cold snap only to close once temperatures rebound, this is likely a lack of perimeter frost protection. This is a condition that should be corrected so that voids in the soil below do not cause more significant damage to the building.

Good planning and a keen eye means you can be well prepared for even the worst of winter.

#ProblemSolved: Our Facilities Team is here to help. Send an email to Patrick McCoy, PE, LEED AP, CSDP at patrick.mccoy@ssmgroup.com or give a call to 610-898-3008

Preparing Your Outdoor Space

Maximizing outdoor space has become an urgent priority for facilities and operations managers. All varieties of organizations are seeking innovative ways to boost outdoor use. This desire isn’t unique to restaurants- opening outdoor seating. Organizations from large-scale manufacturing to small family-owned businesses are all considering ways to extend what would typically occur inside- to the outside.

While for some, making outdoor space happen was an overnight move of furniture to a parking lot- an urgent shift in operations. But for others, the opportunity for a more viable space that is better suited for conditions is a much better investment option.

Implementation of structures that provide shade and some degree of covering are a critical consideration when planning outdoor space.

As organizations lean to installing these shade structures or coverings, we encourage you to ask yourself these questions to make sure you’re on an efficient path to ensuring what you need happens.

Why are you pursuing this option?

Articulate why you are seeking a structure to ensure the project is going to meet your needs. Some things to consider- how temporary will this structure be? Is this just for one event, a season, or year-long? How will the space be utilized- what types of things will happen in this space? Who is it for- employees, customers, visitors, equipment? Identifying these questions and solidifying your interest in a structure can greatly impact not only the product, but the process.

What do you want to get out of it?

Further specify your goals for the structure- identify what you’d like the structure to do. Is it strictly for offering shade? Or, do you intend for the structure to offer rain shelter? Furthermore- are you seeking a space that sustains in winter, or just warm weather? These types of questions determine whether things like ventilation or heating should be considered. Similarly, if open air is opportune, or additional covering would be of interest. Having a clear understanding of how your organization will use your space and what you’d like it to offer you is imperative to beginning the process.

What type of lighting and electrical needs will you have?

This is a great question to ask yourself from the beginning. Have you considered how daylight may impact your use of the space? Manufacturers, for example, might be looking to extend their break rooms to an outdoor space. But, depending on work shifts- adding lighting could be a priority. You may also want to consider WiFi access and convenience outlets for staff or customers to stay connected. There are a number of options to incorporate electrical and lighting needs into an outdoor shade structure- but consideration should be made early to ensure no delays in project timelines. Answering this question from the beginning, and identifying all of your needs will be a huge benefit when beginning the project process.

Do you have an engineering team?

There are a number of engineering design components that go into creating a sustainable outdoor shade structure or covering. For example, anchorage of tents should be worked on to avoid damage to existing patio structures. Similarly, designing a structure- temporary or permanent- should be specific to the needs of your organization, and the structural things that you have going on. You want a planning and engineering team that can make sure your goals are being met in a safe, accurate, and precise way.

Permitting and codes are another distinct reason to work with an engineering team that can help guide you through the process. A temporary structure can only be erected for a period of time (usually 180 days) to be considered temporary. After that, your structure is subject to building codes. Similarly, temporary structures are all subject to fire code, mandatory construction documents, permits, and egress requirements. While you may feel an urgency to get something up and get people out- working with a team that can help you do it correctly is well worth it.

Consider these questions as your first step to moving towards getting a suitable outdoor space set up for your facility. Then, we encourage you to get a virtual consulting call on your calendar to begin the process.

#ProblemSolved: Our Facilities Engineering Team is here to help. If you have questions, send an email to Kitty Bell, Vice President at kitty.bell@ssmgroup.com or give a call to 610-898-3066