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When clients need to know, WJE can test it. And measure it. Before constructing Illinois’ first toll road, the Illinois Tollway Authority hired Jack Janney to test the strength and effectiveness of prestressed concrete girders—a new product that would revolutionize bridge construction. Another milestone in WJE’s history was a project to load test and monitor two structures to destruction following the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. Through testing, WJE was able to validate the design of these structures and provide new insights into structural behavior. Even with the advent of finite element analysis, clients often ask WJE to measure the actual behavior of a structure, which is more reliable than any structural analysis.
In the four decades after the World’s Fair, WJE has instrumented and tested hundreds of structures—in the laboratory and the field—with strain gages, displacement meters, accelerometers, environmental monitors, and other sensors. We have also pioneered the development of nondestructive testing methods, such as impact-echo, infrared, radar, half-cell, and magnetic particle testing. We have also developed, installed, and maintained large continuous monitoring systems in dozens of structures, such as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina. Our monitoring capabilities include wireless networks, interactive Web feeds, database archival systems, and automated alarm systems for small and large monitoring projects. These techniques and tools allow us to help clients better evaluate structural behavior and measure the performance of repairs and retrofits.
Nondestructive evaluation
Long-term structural health monitoring
Water penetration testing
Strain and fracture monitoring
Load testing |
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Vibration and noise monitoring
Blast monitoring
Constructability testing
Frequency and modal identification |
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