The New York City School Construction Authority recently contracted Atkinson-Noland & Associates to provide forensic engineering and nondestructive evaluation (
http://www.ana-usa.com/nondestructive-evaluation.htm) (NDE) services on several school buildings.
These services were requested by the School Construction Authority to address the condition of the masonry, to determine sources of water leaks and for quality control purposes on new construction, said Peter Champe, a Preservation Specialist with Atkinson-Noland & Associates.
Consulting engineers at Atkinson-Noland recently performed nondestructive evaluations at several New York City public schools.
NDE employs various techniques such as ground penetrating radar (GPR), infrared thermography (IRT) and metal detection to provide information about building materials and building components, Champe said. By using GPR, engineers can examine the condition of brick masonry and determine collar joint solidity of the multi-wythe walls.
During the recent evaluations of the schools, Atkinson-Noland located mortar voids in the collar joints at Public School 46 Queens and documented their findings on elevation drawings. This documentation will assist in subsequent grout injection, Champe said.
Water spray tests were carried out at PS 89 Queens, and IRT was used to locate areas of interior water infiltration, Champe said.
At PS 19 Bronx, an ASTM C1601 pressurized spray chamber test was carried out to determine the water permeability of the brick masonry to compare it to industry referenced requirements, Champe said.
Probes in the brick masonry at PS 54 Manhattan were carried out by others and Atkinson-Noland observed and documented existing conditions within the barrier walls, he said. RILEM tube tests were carried out on site to determine the water resistance of the masonry.
About Atkinson-Noland
Atkinson-Noland & Associates has provided structural engineering services including nondestructive testing and nondestructive evaluation for federal, state and private organizations since its founding in 1975. The company provides a variety of professional engineering services for building assessment, repair and evaluation. It specializes in nondestructive (
http://www.ana-usa.com) and in-place testing of masonry structures. With expertise in masonry, nondestructive evaluation and historic preservation (
http://www.ana-usa.com/historic-building-preservation.htm), their services can be customized to meet clients' needs.
Atkinson-Noland & Associates is based in Boulder, Colo. Contact them for more information: (303) 444-3620, (800) 735-3629. Or email them: info @ ana-usa.com .
2007 Sinai Marketing and Atkinson-Noland & Associates. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this press release is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
