A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Structural Analysis of Historic Absorption Building in Turner Valley, Alberta
Many historic structures in Canada are deemed unsafe and are closed or of limited access to the public. An “unsafe” steel and concrete heritage building rebuilt in 1930 has been analysed structurally. The building in question is the absorption building at the Turner Valley Gas Plant (TVGP), a National Historic site. Throughout the building lifespan the structural skeleton has been adapted to accommodate changes in the oil and gas processing. The TVGP was Alberta’s first natural gas plant built and thus the birthplace of the energy sector in Western Canada. The absorption building housed the first ever absorption plant in Canada in 1914. The load path, effects of modified and missing members, and capacity of elements were assessed. Due to a lack of historical records, Non-destructive testing methods were used to determine building properties. Geometrical data was collected with laser scanners and ground penetrating radar systems. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, hardness tests and tension/compression tests were used to determine material stiffness, strength, and chemical microstructure. Four finite element models were developed to conduct a linear-elastic analysis to assess the effects of changes in structural integrity which may have occurred due to structural member modifications. A load test was performed to validate the models. Results confirmed the load path and the effects of modifying members as an initial assessment towards a complete safety analysis. The research also exposed gaps within current standards and provided a guide to future engineers on structural interventions in heritage structures as standards are developed.
Structural Analysis of Historic Absorption Building in Turner Valley, Alberta
Many historic structures in Canada are deemed unsafe and are closed or of limited access to the public. An “unsafe” steel and concrete heritage building rebuilt in 1930 has been analysed structurally. The building in question is the absorption building at the Turner Valley Gas Plant (TVGP), a National Historic site. Throughout the building lifespan the structural skeleton has been adapted to accommodate changes in the oil and gas processing. The TVGP was Alberta’s first natural gas plant built and thus the birthplace of the energy sector in Western Canada. The absorption building housed the first ever absorption plant in Canada in 1914. The load path, effects of modified and missing members, and capacity of elements were assessed. Due to a lack of historical records, Non-destructive testing methods were used to determine building properties. Geometrical data was collected with laser scanners and ground penetrating radar systems. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, hardness tests and tension/compression tests were used to determine material stiffness, strength, and chemical microstructure. Four finite element models were developed to conduct a linear-elastic analysis to assess the effects of changes in structural integrity which may have occurred due to structural member modifications. A load test was performed to validate the models. Results confirmed the load path and the effects of modifying members as an initial assessment towards a complete safety analysis. The research also exposed gaps within current standards and provided a guide to future engineers on structural interventions in heritage structures as standards are developed.
Structural Analysis of Historic Absorption Building in Turner Valley, Alberta
RILEM Bookseries
Endo, Yohei (editor) / Hanazato, Toshikazu (editor) / Burzic, Emina (author) / Iskander, George (author) / Duncan, Neil A. (author) / Shrive, Nigel G. (author)
International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions ; 2023 ; Kyoto, Japan
Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions ; Chapter: 37 ; 445-457
RILEM Bookseries ; 46
2023-09-02
13 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
Structure of Turner Valley gas-field, Alberta
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