PIANC’s Inland Navigation Commission (InCom) will organise the virtual conference ‘Composites for Hydraulic Structures’ on 29 and 30 November 2021.
The two 2.5-hour sessions will feature twelve presentations dealing with PIANC WG-report 191 on ‘Composites for Hydraulic Structures’ and will conclude with panel discussion and closing remarks by Dr. Hota Gangarao, Chairman of PIANC WG 191. This conference will be recorded.
Optional: Manuscripts for ‘Sustainable Structures’ journal are encouraged. Coordinator: Dr. Ray Liang, rliang@wvu.edu, WVUWORKSHOP ORGANISING COMMITTEE:
- Philippe Rigo, PIANC InCom Chairman
- Hota Gangarao, Chairman of PIANC WG 191
- John Clarkson, USACE, PIANC InCom
- Ray Liang, Editor of PIANC WG 191 Report and Chief Editor America, Sustainable Structures Journal
SPEAKERS:
Philippe Rigo, Chairman of PIANC InCom
Philippe is a Professor (University of Liege, Belgium) and Honorary Research Director of the Belgium National Fund of Scientific Research. Civil Engineer (82), Ph.D. (88), Post-Doc Kyoto Univ. (90) and Visiting Professor in Univ. of Michigan (2000). He serves as PIANC INCOM Chair and PIANC WG Chairman on Movable Weirs and on Lock innovations. He is a specialist of Hydraulic Steel Structures & Ships and Offshore Structures (ANAST Research Group). He will give welcome and opening remarks at the workshop.
John Clarkson, P.E. Senior Reviewer, Institute for Water Resources, USACE
John has 39 years of design experience in navigation and flood control projects, including planning and layout of locks and dams (L&D), filling and emptying systems, approach walls, gates, and construction techniques (cofferdam or inthe-wet). Advocate for using composites in heavy civil works projects when there is a material advantage. Currently leading 35 worldwide navigation experts documenting the best practices in lock design and construction for WG 206 Update of the Final Report of the International Commission for the Study of Locks. At the workshop he will elaborate “Why Composites for Hydraulic Structures?”
Gensheng Zhao, NHRI, China
Gensheng is a Senior Engineer of Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (NHRI), China. He obtained his PhD degree in Hydraulic Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands in 2014. He has served as the YP member in PIANC INCOM since 2017. At the workshop, in the capacity of the general secretary of the organizing committee for PIANC SMART Rivers 2022, October 18-21, Nanjing, China, Gensheng will update us about the conference and invite participants to attend. There will be a special symposium on Composites and Innovative Technologies under Inland Navigation Structures.
Charles (Eddie) Wiggins, Technical Director, Navigation, USACE-ERDC-CHL
Eddie serves as Technical Director at USACE-ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) with responsibilities for the management, oversight, and execution of the USACE Navigation Research and Development activities. Eddie has worked in a variety of roles related to navigation channel maintenance, coastal mapping and research and development. Eddie earned his BS in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1992, and a MS in Hydrographic Science in 2002 from the University of Southern Mississippi. At the workshop, Eddie will provide an overview on USACE’s vision for use of composites in civil works missions, including RD&T strategic needs & priorities, and current efforts.
Hai Fang, PhD, Professor and Director of Institute of Composite Structures, Nanjing Tech University, China
Hai has been researching on the bridge anti-collision systems and FRP composite structures since 2008 and has published more than 170 technical papers. He obtained his B.Sc.(Eng.) degree from Beijing Jiaotong University and Ph.D. degree from Nanjing Tech University. At the workshop, Dr Fang will focus on the structural applications of FRP composites as major load-carrying members in different aggressive environments, including FRP truss and frame structures in high humility areas, FRP composite bumper systems for bridge piers and floating FRP structures for solar panels.
Jan Peeters, MSc, FiberCore Europe, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Jan is a founding partner of FiberCore Europe, the inventor of InfraCore and the Chief Technical Officer of InfraCore Company. As an aerospace engineer and specialist in plastics and composites, he came up with the InfraCore construction method that eliminates the risk of delamination. This has opened the door to over 1,000 FRP structures in civil engineering. He is now working on the approval of InfraCore in the energy and maritime sector. At the workshop, he will dive into the design process of the world’s biggest FRP lock gates, that encountered many hurdles to be taken considering that the scale and importance were novel. Many of the design-aspects are in relation to the fabrication and installation, thus giving the full story.
Jonathan Trovillion, Research Materials Engineer, USACE-ERDC-CERL
Jonathan has worked at USACE-ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) over 31 years and has conducted materials-related research and development that integrates predictive modeling with experimental analysis to solve Army problems for both Military and Civil Works applications. His experimental experience covers the range from coupon-level to full-scale structural, seismic, and vibration testing and analysis. As an integral member of collaborative research team, he has contributed to the developments of advanced materials to increases service life, reduced maintenance, and lower life-cycle costs. At the workshop, he will provide an overview of USACE Civil Works demonstration projects focused on fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, including past demonstration projects and their performance as well as current projects in progress and planned future projects.
Hota Gangarao, P.E., Chairman of PIANC WG 191 on Hydraulic Structures; Professor and Director, NSF IUCRC Center for Composites Infrastructure, WVU
Hota has been advancing the state-of-the-art of FRP composite materials and their applications to infrastructure systems since 1988 and has demonstrated success by field-implementing his research findings and technical innovations for construction and rehabilitation of a wide spectrum of engineering systems with composites in several states in US, including highway and railroad structures, hydraulic structures, buildings and modular housing, naval vessels, prefabricated pavements, utility poles, high pressure gas pipes, sheet piling, and others. At the workshop, he will present the composite Wicket Gates project as a case study from design considerations, manufacturing through infusion process, laboratory testing and evaluations, to field implementations.
Scott Reeve, Creative Composites Group
Scott has been developing new products using FRP composites, especially in the infrastructure sector for over 35 years. These products include bridge decking, rail platforms, berthing equipment for naval vessels, waterway protection systems and cantilever sidewalks. In 2005, he founded Composite Advantage, which is now part of the Creative Composites Group. He is chair of ACMA’s Transportation Structures Council. He received a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from Washington University and Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University. At the workshop, he will review the large FRP structures for waterway applications that are currently being implemented, including monopile dolphins for ferry terminals; fender protection systems; berthing camels; gates; trench covers and barges.
Martijn Veltkamp, FiberCore Europe, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Dr Veltkamp is a civil engineer by training and for nearly 10 years heavily involved in the design and construction of FRP bridges and lock gates. He strives to provide value-for-money solutions and overall customer support with a structural material that is well-known to some, but still unknown to many others. In the past decade, a number of lock gate and stop-log projects have seen the light, incorporating each other’s lessons-learned. While each project is different and the FRP always a bespoke product, his presentation at the workshop will go into the common denominators across the projects. As such, it will assist asset owners to specify FRP as structural material and enjoy the material’s low life cycle costs.
Allan Manalo, Professor, Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia
Allan is working on projects which aim to future-proof Queensland’s marine and boating infrastructure using fibre composite technologies. He chairs the Standards Australia BD-108 FRP composite bars. He actively involves with the Concrete Institute of Australia, Composites Australia, Engineers Australia, and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC). At the workshop he will introduce a new type of prefabricated FRP composites repair system for rehabilitation of deteriorating pile structures. The novelty of this repair system is its joining mechanism which comprises of two rows of interlocking teeth that can easily fit into each other like a zipper, and a locking key to provide continuity of the repair system, mimicking the way clam shells close its hundreds of small filaments together with precise ease and strength.
Liesbeth Tromp, Royal HaskoningDHV, Rotterdam Netherlands
Liesbeth is an FRP specialist and lead engineer with over 20 years of experience. In 2010 she joined global engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV and specialises in the application of FRP in large infrastructural applications such as bridges, lock doors and roof structures. She is a guest lecturer for FRP at Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering as well as Architecture. She is the technical coordinator and co-author of Dutch FRP Design Guidance CUR96; published in 2018 and is member of the CEN/TC250 Working Group 4, working towards an Eurocode for design of FRP structures. At the workshop, she will present in-field material research that RWS performs to calibrate partial factors used in Dutch Design guidance CUR96. These tests provide the back up and confidence to apply FRP in more important hydraulic structures. The work is nicely linked to the scaling up of FRP applications that can be seen in RWS projects since 2000 up to now, in increasingly important structures.
Christopher Gamache, P.E., Senior Structures Engineer, CARDNO, FL
Chris has 20 years of experience in bridge design, rehabilitation, rating, and construction as well as miscellaneous transportation structures and seawalls. At the workshop, he will provide illustrative examples of how FRP Sheet Piles have been incorporated as channel and bridge abutment protection. Discussed will be the material advantages in a corrosive environment, design approach, and lessons learned from construction.
Jonathan Benvenuto, P.E., Chief of Logistics, U.S. Coast Guard
Lieutenant Commander Benvenuto graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a BS in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and from the University of Rhode Island with MS degree in Ocean Engineering. He served various roles including Ocean Engineer at Civil Engineering Unit Miami, Strategic Operations Product Line Branch Chief, Real Property and Planning Branch Chief at Civil Engineering Unit Cleveland. Currently as the Logistics Officer, he is responsible for overseeing all the day-to-day operations at USCG Sector Buffalo as well as the facility infrastructure and finance. For years, coastal construction has considered traditional materials such as wood, steel and concrete. Composite material and production method advancements have allowed for composites to not only compete with costal construction utilizing traditional materials but often surpass extending the life of the coastal structure, minimizing impacts to the environment and greatly reducing lifecycle costs.
Ray Liang, PhD, Managing Director, NSF Center for Composites Infrastructure, WVU; and Chief Editor America, Sustainable Structures Journal
Ray has been researching on composites and sustainable materials in terms of cost-effectiveness, innovative manufacturing, and efficient structural design including joining mechanisms for infrastructural applications with better performance and durability. A graduate from Tsinghua University, he has received a PhD degree from Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Chemistry where he had been a professor prior to joining West Virginia University. As two-time recipient of the Royal Society Visiting Fellowship, he had worked at the University of Cambridge for four years. He is an active member of ACMA technical committee and serves as vice Chair of International Committee of Chinese Society for Composite Materials. At the workshop, as editor of PIANC WG 191 Report, he will provide an overview of the WG 191 Report “Composites for Hydraulic Structures”.
Gregg Blaszak, P.E. President of Coastline Composites
Gregg is a civil/structural engineer with over 25 years of experience in the design, specification, and construction of fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) for heavy/civil infrastructure projects including bridge, marine, rail, tunnel, and waterfront markets. He is a leading expert on the strengthening and retrofit of concrete structures with carbon fiber materials and has chaired a number of industry committees responsible for developing design and construction guidelines. He has authored several technical papers on FRPs. He as one of the panelists will share his views on composite applications in waterfront and marine fields at the workshop.
Casper Kruger, Structural Evolution Co., United Kingdom
Casper has had a career path with a strong Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) knowledge base into the civil composite market. As part of a large civil composite manufacturer, he has had design experiences with light weight, corrosion resistant composites in multiple footbridges, aqueducts, service platforms, and other structures. All these further develop his knowledge around DfMA and analysing highly non linear heterogeneous materials to suit the project requirements. He started his own business - Structural Evolution in September 2020. At the workshop, he will share his experiences under the title “Design and manufacture of advanced composites - An iterative approach”.
Dustin Troutman, Director of Marketing and Product Development, Creative Pultrusions, Inc.
Dustin has been instrumental in the market investigation and development of major pultrusion products and product lines including pipe piles, sheet piles, utility poles and cross arms, and many other waterfront and bridge applications, in addition to being a key player in the development of codes and standards in support of the FRP pultrusion industry. He is holding four patents and as a leader in composites industry, serves various roles in a number of professional associations and committees including ASCE, ANSI, ASTM, ACMA, the Pultrusion Industry Council, the Utility and Communication Structures Committee, and the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) charged with developing the ASCE/LRFD standard for pultruded structural profiles. At the workshop, he will update the implementation of composite wicket gates project which was recently awarded $11,931,142 by USACE.
