i er Petey aE DQ Ccastinplace concrete construction can bea problem in cold weather. However, Goentzel Builders, Ine. found that using fan ar structure to protect this type of Construction was an economical solution. Not ony did it create a comfortable working environment, but Twas a movable structure that was ‘sed on two separate obs owned by the Anchorage Water and Wastewater unity imagine cast-in-place concrete construction in an area where the average outside temperature is OF (18 C), and daylight can last as litle as five and one-half hours. This may sound like a night- mare, but it's a reality in Anchor- age, Alaska, where year-round con- crete construction continues in spite of the harsh winter conditions. When the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU) de- cided to expand its facilities at the Point Woronzof Wastewater Treat- ment Plant, an economical solution to placing concrete in such severe conditions had to be found. The AWWU also had long range plans for several large cast-in-place con- crete facilities at its Ekluina Water Project, and wanted a construction method that would benefit both of these projects. Air structure chosen Goentzel Builders, Ine., the con- crete subcontractor on the Point Woronzof Project, selected an en: closed air structure as the best way to protect the concrete during placement. Because of the long time span of the projects, the chosen construction enclosure had to have characteristics that included the fol: lowing: * It should be an easy and eco. nomical to transport + It should be structurally sound, able to withstand wind and snow loading in winter. * It should have the lowest initial cost, since money to purchase the structure would have to be bor: rowed with interest * It should have standard compo. nents that could be used with addi- tional air structures of various sizes purchased in the future, ‘It should be reusable and able to enclose the future Eklutna Water Treatment Facility (which was 35 miles away from Point Woronzof), and any other future cast-in-place conventionally reinforced construc tion projects. With these criteria in mind, the concrete subcontractor for the Point Woronzof Project purchased an 80- ft-high x 400-ft-long x 330-ft-wide (24 x 122 x 101-m) tortoise-shell shaped air structure, This air struc ture had a surface area of approxi: mately 3 acres (12,000 m'); the larg: est air structure previously used in Alaska had a surface area of only 2 acres (8,100 m’). A network of steel cables formed the primary structural element and the synthetic fabric formed the sec ‘ondary structural element. The large load bearing cables that spanned the 330-ft (101-m) width had design loads, in conformance with the Uniform Building Code, of 30 kips (033 KN) tension. These primary ca- bles were spaced 6 ft (2 m) apart at the tent perimeter, along the 400-ft (122-m) sides of the air structure. 2 Concrete InternationalThe 330-ft (101-m) sides have only three rows of *'spacer’’ cables, which serve a function similar to bridging in a framed structure, Anchor blocks A conventionally reinforced foundation system formed from precast concrete anchor blocks was selected by the designers and con. tractor. It was assumed that the air structure would always be erected around an excavated site. There. fore, excavated soil would always be available as a dead load mass to anchor the construction enclosure. The concrete anchor blocks con: nected the tent forces and the soil mass to the ground anchors and stakes, which in turn transfer forces into the earth, The air structure’s foundation consists of 56 large [T-ft wide x 12. ft long (2 x 4-m)] and 52 small [4-ft wide x 12-ft long (I x 4-m)] conven: tionally reinforced conerete anchor blocks. The blocks had a corru gated bottom surface designed for increased traction to resist horizon: tal sliding. They also contained pat terns of anchor bolts for attaching vehicle air lock. a steel framing clamping system that secures the Fabric perimeter: Special features of the large anchor blocks include guide pipes at the 7 ft (2-m) wide ends of the blocks, embedded plates for the cable steel link bars, patterns of anchor bolts for split-T connectors to shackle screw in-ground anchors, and steel pipe embedded sleeves to guide steel pipe stakes. The actual length of a concrete anchor block is 11 ft. 11 in. (3.6 m). However, the blocks are placed at 12-ft (4-m) centers to provide a 2 in. (5 cm) gap between adjoining blocks. This gap permitted the blocks to be placed on uneven ground, and provided space for alignment of the blocks. The con- crete anchor blocks varied in thick- ness from 12 in, (30 em) to 13.5 in. G4 .em). Alignment pipes were positioned at the center of each end of the large anchor blocks. One end of a block contained a male steel pipe with a closure plate cast into the concrete, while the opposite side of the block has a large diameter steel pipe (female). The alignment pipes (Right) Flatbed trailer entering alr structure through (Above) Workmen attaching padding to tower crane, used {o lft pre-tied reinforcing mats and formwork helped the workers in laying out the foundation. They also reduce the possibility of a progressive failure. A steel link bar 4in. wide and 50- in, Tong (10 x 127 cm), is located in the 36 in. (91 em) deep soil backfill This bar connects the embedded plate to the 0.75-in. (2-em) diame- ter air structure cable. Only the tip Of the link bar protruded from the soil backfill mass for shackling to the cable wire rope’s swaged eyelet A 1.25-in, (3.2-em) diameter bolt connected the link bar to the embedded plate . For transferring loads into the concrete anchor block, eight dowels were positioned through holes drilled in the embed- ded plate. To achieve the desired safety fac- tor against uplift, two manufac. tured ground anchors were pro- vided per large concrete anchor block. It proved to be more cost ef- fective to purchase a ground anchor system than to add more height to the 3-ft (1-m) backfill. Patterns of four anchor bolts were set in the concrete to allow steel spit T's to be bolted to the concrete. The ground anchors were screwed into the (October 1968 23Air Structures ground. Still, they had a tendency to drift, and had to be connected with a double shackle joint The large concrete anchor blocks were also cast with four 15-in, (38. em) long, 7-in, (18-em) inner diam. eter steel pipes. Each steel pipe had two dowels welded to it to bond it to the concrete. These sleeves were uides for the open-ended 6.in. (15: em) diameter standard pipes [4-ft (122-cm) long tent stakes}. The steel linings make the guide holes more resistant to abrasion over years of installing and removing the steel pipe stakes. If longer or thicker wall pipes were needed in future proj ects, they would still work with these steel sleeves. Air locks The air structure was ordered with six escape openings, one per- sonnel air lock, and one vehicle air lock. The escape openings were 3-f (L-m) high oval openings with fab- ric reinforced sewn edges, A flap of material edged with velcro sealed off the bottom. Coupled with the air pressure in the structure, this provided a strong seal to minimize leakage, ‘The air locks for personnel and equipment also minimized air pres. sure loss. The air structure was or- dered with extra openings, plus boots. The boots are fabric tunnels between the sloping tortoise-shell- shaped side of the air structure and the rectangular air locks. A solid piece of fabric was laced across the ‘openings at unused boot locations. After the air locks had been con- nected to the boot, the fabric door ‘was unlaced. Two large boots were fabricated on the center of each 300-ft (91-m) side of the air strue- ture as alternative air lock loca tions. Thus, an air lock could be re- located at any time, and the extra boots also provide flexibility for lo Conerete pumping truck in position far first wall placement inside alr structure at Point Woronzot, cating air locks into the air struc: ture at future construction sites Each air lock had two doors, one at each end, so only the volume of the air in the lock is lost when the structure is entered and exited. The vehicle air lock was large enough to allow all special concrete construc tion equipment to pass through it without a problem. This special equipment included a concrete pump truck, concrete mixing trucks, cranes, pickup trucks, and flatbed trailers transporting mate. rial such as conerete sewer pipe. ‘At both sites the bottom eleva. tion of the conventionally rein- forced cast-in-place concrete struc- tures was about 35 feet (11 m) be- low the finished grade of the ground surface. These steep grades presented a problem, for very few heavy vehicles, especially construc- tion equipment, can drive up grades steeper than about 10 percent on dirt ramps. As a solution, an exte- a ‘Concrete International(top) Men working on top of air structure at Point Woronzot (bottom) Concrete anchor blacks are positioned around perimeter of excavated site rior dirt ramp that led into the air structure and the vehicle air lock was installed below the elevation of the structure's concrete anchor blocks. Because of the site constraints, the vehicle air lock was not at. tached to its fabric boots and ended up on the east side of the structure at both sites. Because this differed from the design setup, a steel fram- ing system was erected to support the east base of the structure at the Point Woronzof Wastewater Treat- ment Plant, At the Ekluina Water Project site, however, the steel framing was eliminated in favor of another solution. A portion of the reinforced cast-in-place concrete structure at Eklutna was built prior to the installation of the air struc~ ture. A 16-ft (S-m) gap in the con- crete was left open to permit vehic~ ular access into the air structure. The vehicle air lock was attached to the structure at this gap, and the air structure was sealed off with addi- tional materials to prevent any leakage Air structure fabrication The air structure itself was fabri cated in nine sections, each rolled up and shipped to the site. Each bundled section was about the size of a S-ft (1.S-m) cube that was eas- ily moved with an all-terrain fork lift. The separate sections were con- nected with a shiplap joint and a continuous row of 1-ft (25-cm) long bolted aluminum clamps. A total of about 3000 clamps were employed. Each section was composed of numerous pieces of translucent white vinyl-coated polyester, weigh- ing 28 oz/yd? (950 g/m’), heat sealed together dielectrically into three-dimensional curved shapes. A small heating/patching iron was provided by the manufacturer to heat seal any tears that occurred while removing the fabric from its shipping containers, or while laying it out across the rough ground sur face. The translucent white material al- lowed the natural daylight to pro- vide illumination. In turn, the structure was lit at night by means of reflective lighting on masts aimed at the material. Twelve interior lighting pole masts equipped with 1000-watt bulbs provided enough night-time illumination inside the structure. Inflation Inflation and deflation of the air structure are the most critical con: struction stages for facilities of this type. Since the entire steel cable system must be under tension for structural stability, wind speeds should be under 10 mph (16 km/h) during inflation and deflation. High winds will damage the structure during these critical stages. Am air structure inflates similar 10 an air mattress, with the side closest October 1988 25Air Structures continued Air structure in position atthe Eklutna Water Project site to the inflating units enlarging first The far side of the structure re- ‘mains on the ground while the side near the inflation units nears oper- ating pressure. During the inflation period, itis important that the web of cables be prevented from tan- ling, since the cables are only taut when the air structure is inflated to the proper pressure. At both sites three $,000,000-Bru (5,275,000-KJ) natural gas heaters that provided warm air to both heat and maintain inflation of the struc- ture. Natural gas was chosen be- ‘cause it was less expensive than die- sel fuel or electrical power. Safety ‘The air inside the structure was constantly monitored to maintain a safe working environment. Accord- ing to the State of Alaska’s OSHA field inspectors, one of the leading causes of construction deaths in their state is carbon monoxide poi- soning inside small homemade con- struction covers. Thus, carbon ‘monoxide levels inside the air struc- ture were monitored in three differ ent ways to insure the workers safety. The general contractor used an electric L.E.D. carbon monoxide monitor that displayed readings in parts per million (ppm). The OSHA limit for carbon monoxide levels is 50 ppm. OSHA inspectors and the owner of the air structure employed Air Structure Manufacturer: a bellows system with glass encap- sulated test cartridges. The mate- rials inside these cartridges change color when exposed to carbon mon- oxide. For the individual worker, the protective test method available was a plastic warning badge which held a pellet that changed color if the carbon monoxide level within the air structure exceeded 50 ppm. Installation Positioning the air structure at Point Woronzof Wastewater Treat- ment Plant tended to be compli cated because the structure had to be located between a maze of exist- ing cast-in-place concrete facilities to the south and a 30-ft (9-m) high bluff to the north. Also, the erec- tion and maintenance of the air structure and other construction ac~ tivities could not interrupt the rou- tine of the city employees running the plant. ‘The placing of the air structure at the Eklutna Water Treatment Facil- ity was an easier task, partly be- cause of the experience gained with Project Credits the prior installation of the struc ture at Point Woronzof. Also, the site at Eklutna was all wilderness, and had no space constrictions. Thus, the structure could be posi- tioned as desired without a prob- lem. The time of installation helped also. The air structure was installed at Eklutna during the mild summer months, as opposed to the installa tion of the structure at Point Wo- ronzof, which took place during fall and winter. A problem faced by workmen operating equipment inside an air structure is the danger of punctur~ ing or tearing the material. Opera- tors of large pieces of equipment, such as cranes, have to be careful ‘when working near the sides or the top of the structure. A crane did puncture the structure at Eklutna, causing delay while repairs were un- dertaken, For cold weather concreting in Alaska, an air structure seems 10 be a viable solution. In commenting in the technique used, Floyd Damron, ‘Owner: Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utlity Point Woronzof Wastewater Treatment Plant Concrete Subcontractor and Air Structure Developer: I Contractor: M.A, Mortenson of Minnesota Water Project livin Industries, Air Tech Division Goentzel Builders, Inc. Hoffman Construction Company. ‘Concrete InternationalAt Eklutna, the ar structure's east fend was anchored to a portion of the final concrete structure. The vehicle ait te tached here. References 1, Damron, Floyd J., “*Design/ Construction Considerations or Subaretie Wastewater Plant," Journal of Cold Re sions Engineering, ASCE, V. 1, No.3, Sept 1987, pp. 133-144 ACI Member ‘ted Mangus active in ne a a consultant on the project noted, good quality. The shadow free, re- 2078 Chapter of “fhe tem performed as expected, fected illumination eliminated tne ACI He receved Crews were exceptionally produc. normal stain of working at night N= 8S from Penn tive and maintained high morale under artificial lighting. It_also : because they did not have to be proved ideal for inspections be- Yorsy and nis MS ‘ag HARSH WEATHER ACI specifications and procedures will help you achieve cold weather concrete that will produce a strong, durable structure. The NEW Standard Specification for Cold Weather Concreting, (2081-7) cesigned to be usin its entity by rternce in peje pein, wil asst the fngineertvertct in popery choosing and sping the raveary mandir and optional ‘urements forte projec speciation. The pecifemton coms prepare pro pacoran tteonrcte as wel at onperatre of concrete an protection a concrete pag Cold ister Conceting (2058) evi in 883 proiea yu ‘nth the tocnigus to propery manure place an pet oes ‘rere in cols wether Ts ACI epon provides asl chars Sd grap. s wal as discuss of contcton mi tec ovens, temperate recorcng procedures, rere. ees (Order your books ade! Soy ‘816127, Standard Speciation for Cold Westnor Conertng, 1W5r, softcover, 4 panos, ACI memos S360 ror members $475 S6F-78, Cols Weather Conceting, 183, sot over. 23 2ap55, ‘5G members $1025 omembere $1939) AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE P.O. Box 19150 © Detroit Mi 48210-0150 « (18) 882-2800 October 1988 a