The Week of January 8, 2018 — The Spline Beam Skeleton Continues to Extend to the East

While I was away for a week of R & R, Southern California was walloped with the first real rain storm of the season.  Upon returning to the construction site, I could tell that the area received a lot of rain: The elevator pits contained several inches of water;  some of which, no doubt, was caused by runoff. Progress had been made as the steel skeleton extended closer to the center of the pit. Additional damper brackets had been welded to the pedestals and a few more dampers had been installed. Work continued on the mechanical pipes. The tarps had been removed from the east section of the cap slab and most of the scaffolding had been removed. At grade on the northwest corner, the electricians had begun work on a concrete electrical vault, which had allowed rainwater to run into the conduits. In order for them to prevent this in the future, they must raise the height of the vault, via a six-inch extension, to meet the grade.

The Happy Warriors!

The end of the week photo lineup (left to right): “Gonzo” (laborer/carpenter); Jack Kay (project assistant superintendent); Chuck (laborer/carpenter); Derrick (safety); Alex (laborer/carpenter). It has been a blast being able to rub shoulders with these professionals!!!!!

I witnessed a technique called “Christmas Treeing,” which is illustrated in the above photo. A couple of ironworkers attach multiple cables to the steel that is to be lifted. In the photo above three (3) pieces of steel –the largest at the bottom and the smallest at the top with the medium sized piece in the middle–are hoisted by the crane where they will be lowered into place. While the ironworkers are placing the steel, per the specs, the other team on the ground are attaching the cables to the steel in preparation for the next lift.

This video illustrates the technique of the ironworkers “Christmas Treeing” the steel. This method is used when attaching tandem loads of steel, which is then lifted and lowered into place. This method is an effective and productive way of delivering steel to the project. The ironworkers and crane operators must take notice of potential hazards when this system is used.

This video clip illustrates how the ironworkers position an intermediate beam as it is lowered into place.

Since their arrival on site, the cranes have captivated everyone on campus. The crane on the north side has an additional appendage, which I am frequently asked about. This extra appendage is a counterweight wagon, which holds additional counterweights for heavy lift projects such as the steel beams. The 12-wheel wagon allows the crane to slew in both directions.

The crane on the south side of the pit is the smaller of the two. Both are the same models: Liebherr 1750 crawler cranes, but the crane on the north side has a taller boom, which requires more counterweights.

This clip is about an interesting and sometimes necessary crane attachment that is used when and if the job complexity demands heavy lifting. When this occurs, a counterweight (ballast) wagon is attached to the crane. The wagon moves when the crane slews to the right or left. Twelve tires support the approximate 80,000 lbs. of counterweights, which can be adjusted if and when needed. If the crane must be moved (crawl) a short distance, the wagon is detached from the crane.

Three sets of dampers. Each set connected via pins to brackets. One bracket is connected to the spline beam node and the other bracket is welded to the damper pedestal, which is at a lower angle than the spline beam bracket.

This photo is a closeup of how the damper is connected to the node’s bracket.

No, Mable, this is not the latest in toilet design. This is a closeup of the stainless steel spherical bearing that fits into the damper clevis.

The stainless steel pin roller, which weighs approximately 25-pounds, slides into the spherical bearing. Note how the spherical bearing moves with the pin roller.

The close tolerance within the damper ring clevis requires that the stainless steel pin roller is aligned perfectly so that the pin roller slips through the ring. A firm pull with two hands will extricate the pin from the ring clevis.

The stainless steel pin roller stands alone on top of a damper pedestal plate. The pin is held in place by two, one at each end, stainless steel spiral retaining rings

A live cam weekly construction update of the moat (aka the pit) taken 01.12.18 from the east tower of the Medical Center.