This is the first opportunity to network with new industry partner providers and new and existing contacts with industry professionals. Join us in the St. Croix Room
Generously sponsored by SME
Thanks To Tiffany Vorhies and Ali Corbett
Generously sponsored by D.S. Brown
Thanks to Chris Youngless
Generously Sponsored by Bureau Veritas
Thanks to Ray Momsen and Roberta Luba
Continental breakfast will be available in the main meeting area for all attendees
The Design Group consists of bridge engineers from each state DOT. Planned and led by your group leader Mike Nop the Iowa Design Representative and Bridge Project Development Engineer for Iowa DOT. Please submit your discussion questions to Mike and be sure to provide your answers back to him when you receive the complied listing. Michael.Nop@iowadot.us
Download the Agenda below
The I-80/I-35 to IA 141 flyover bridge is the cornerstone element to resolving congestion and safety challenges at the convergence of I-80 and I-35 with Iowa Highway 141 (locally known as Rider Corner and now known as the Urban Loop) in the Cities of Urbandale and Grimes in the northwestern Des Moines metro area.
Traffic often backed up onto the Interstate, resulting in delays, congestion, and crashes. The planning and design of the flyover bridge and adjacent interchanges addressed several corridor constraints while allowing improved access that supports and promotes economic development.
The focus of this presentation is the design and construction constraints and challenges for the Urban Loop Corridor and Flyover Bridge.
Stanley T. Stallsmith, PE, HR Green
Stan earned his BS degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University and has over thirty-five years of experience specializing in structural engineering for transportation projects. He is a Senior Engineer and leads the Transportation Structural Group in HR Green’s Des Moines office. Stan was the Project Manager for the Urban Loop Flyover Bridge Project.
Nolan Lai, Director of Cobot Automation at Lincoln Electric will introduce us to the concepts and comment of the application for bridge fabrication.
The appeal of a cobot cell is the relatively low entry threshold. The investment is lower than in a robot cell. A cobot is ideal for gaining experience in automation. Programming experience is not required. This makes a cobot extremely suitable for companies with in-house knowledge of automation. Briefly, some selected differences between a traditional industrial cell and a cobot cell:
NSBA's Chris Garrell and Tony Peterson will present an update to NSBA's services and some current projects.
DOTQS will give a quick electronic tour of the current website and a discussion board for sharing information and posing questions of interest to the work of the region. There may be additional next steps on what we can accomplish with this tool.
Generously Sponsored by Pennoni Associates.
Thanks to Daniel DeMaria
Generously Sponsored by AISC
Thanks to Todd Alwood
Generously Sponsored by the International Zinc Association
Thanks to Kevin Irving
Generously Sponsored by Valmont
Thanks to Bill Clark
Generously Sponsored by GPI
Thanks to Sarah Olthof
SPECIAL THANKS to GPI FOR SUPPLYING NAME TAGS
In 2018, Duane K. Miller was awarded the first Steel Conference Speaker Award, recognizing years of outstanding presentations made at the annual Steel Conference sponsored by AISC. For that event, he presented a similarly titled lecture, reviewing ten lessons others taught him over his career at Lincoln Electric: five engineering-related principles dealing with the design of welded connections, and five additional principles that can be generally ground as “life lessons”. Included are lessons on leadership, mentoring and sales.
After a 44 year career with Lincoln Electric, Duane established an engineering consulting company called “Listen to the Steel”.
Gold Level Sponsored by HRV!
Thanks to Betsy Wehner
HRV will do a special introductory remarks before lunch.
Iowa's Bridge Engineer Jim Nelson will introduce us to the State's bridge program and highlight some innovations the State has applied to recent projects
T-1 steel may have come up in discussions lately. This presentation will review what this material is, the issues in fabrication and design and where to focuss inspections. Cost expectations will also be discussed
Presented by Todd Niemann, Principal Engineer and Manager Twin Cities office for Fickett Structural Solutions
Todd's other accomplishments include:
The use of metalizing and zinc-rich liquid coatings on steel bridges is increasing.
A review of the appropriate preparation and application techniques for the use of liquid applied zinc coatings on top of metallic thermal zinc coatings as a ‘Duplex’ coating system will increase your confidence for your next project.
By utilizing this system, no steel bridge should ever require re-blasting during its 100 years, or longer life cycle. Possibly the Optimum Coating System for Steel Bridges.
Kevin Irving of the International Zinc Association is presenting
Generously Sponsored by AISC
Thanks to Todd Alwood
Generously Sponsored by Fickett Structural Solutions
Thanks to Andy Fickett and Todd Niemann
Generously Sponsored by Bureau Veritas
Thanks to Ray Momsen and Roberta Luba
Ray Momsen, Vice President of Bureau Veritas, will give a presentation on the capabilities of the company’s Robotic Inspection Systems for the inspection of Bridge and Infrastructure components. The presentation will include an overview of the robotic inspection of bridge stay cables, suspension cables, and external post tension cables in segmental concrete bridges and pier columns along with bridge deck scanning, and high mast light pole inspection capabilities. These robotic systems provide inspection data utilizing Close Visual Inspection (CVI), Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL), laser measurement tools, and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technologies. Mr. Momsen is an ASNT Level III with over 40 years of experience.
In 2015, MnDOT experienced loose nuts for signs, luminaries, and traffic signals despite following AASHTO anchor rod tightening requirements. Iowa State University conducted three research projects “Retightening anchor bolts of support structures for sign and luminaires”, in Phases I and II and Implementations, from 2016 to 2021. Total cost was $445,000.
Key findings were: In-place structures were either overtightened or under-tightened. Adequate lubrications at the right place are crucial. Turn-of-nut methods are hard to predict and control. Prefer required tightening torques for all current anchor rod types used in MNDOT. Current required pretension in AASHTO specifications, based on rod yielding strength Fy, not Fu, provides adequate function in load path. Anchor rods installed with newly developed tightening procedures have not had loose nuts or pretension loss in rods since 2017.
Key proposals and comments to 2022 proposed AASHTO items are: Use Fy, not Fu, in calculating pretension force; add notes in lubrication at faying surface between washer and the nut and not lubricate the leveling nuts and washer; use torque numbers for the tightening and the turns of nuts as references; add star tightening patterns; define the snug-tight values; and change the waiting time to apply and value for verification torque.
Yuying Hu (Betty), P.E., Ph.D.
Assistant Fabrication Methods Engineer, MnDOT Bridge Office
Dave Stoddard, Sr. Steel Applications Engineer, SSAB Americas Steel Plate Mill will provide a comparison between the integrated steelmaking methods converting iron ore to steel and the electric arc furnace process recycling scarp into new steel, as well as new direct iron reduction technology that can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of iron ore based steel production. The presentation will then discuss the casting and rolling processes converting liquid steel into the plate and structural shapes used in bridge fabrication and construction. Also covered will be governmental and steel industry initiatives to reduce GHG. Finally, the determination of a steel mill’s bridge plate capabilities, how a bridge plate order happens, and a summary of U.S. plate and structural mills will be reviewed.
Directions on when to arrive at the Mill will be discussed. We will stager arrival to keep the flow organized.
Each state representative will share information on future bridge projects planned.
Reconnect with new contacts over dinner or cocktails or ask more about what you heard today, or relax and get to know attendees in a comfortable environment.
This is an invitation-only meeting. Representatives will meet to discuss opportunities to make NCSC grow and be a greater resource for the Bridge Engineers and Technicians of the member states year-round.
Breakfast sandwiches and beverages packaged to travel will be available on Wednesday morning. Plan to eat it on the way or early before you depart. Breakfast will be available at 6:00 am. It will be located in the St. Croix room where the reception was held on Monday night.
Generously sponsored by KTA Tator
Thanks to Cindy Rice and Jamie Hilton!
The SSAB Iowa mill tour will be approximately two hours and will follow the steel production process from the meltshop, through the continuous casting, slab reheating, rolling, finishing, and shipping operations.
If you are driving, please depart the hotel to arrive, park and be ready for a safety orientation at 8:00 am.
Details for those who will be transported will be shared later at the meeting.