8 stainless steel tanks used for the process of lixiviation of a Copper Mine facility near the city of Antofagasta, Northern Chile. These were modeled, analyzed and assessed under several load conditions including seismic loads as per the National Building Code of Chile, NCh 433.

Modeling and analysis were also done based on the latest research on the dynamics of circular tanks under hydro-dynamic loading conditions. Several effects were studied and reported to the client in order to proceed with seismic retrofit solutions such as local buckling of plates, connections at the foundation and interaction with the piping system.  The study was part of a major study performed by ALPA Engineers for the tank providers Outotec.

40 year old reinforced concrete structure with several inefficiencies and lack of clear load path under lateral loads. The building was considered as a serious candidate for structural demolition and replacement. PBRV (F&F Engineers) provided a temporary solution for keeping the structure and improving the lateral load resisting system capacity under moderate to severe earthquakes, supporting lateral loads from new soil conditions due to the development of new construction near the site.

The retrofitted system comprised of new shear walls and concentrically braced frames with upgraded foundations. The building was retrofitted and currently has sustained the impact of 2 major earthquakes, the 8.8Mw El Maule in 2010 and the 8.1Mw Coquimbo in 2015. The building is still occupied and providing services in technology for the entire campus of the Universidad de Santiago of Chile.

A heavy duty crane system and the supporting structure was modeled and analyzed to study vibration issues during the operation/transportation of material. The model consisted of a moving load hanging from the hoist of the beam and the corresponding hoist structure, the crane and the supporting frame. Several issues were identified and matched with what was observed in the field. A structural retrofit was proposed to the client and advice on the potential structural problems in a long-term process.

PBRV was hired by VCSD and CWA to  perform a series of structural analyses for the assessment of the condition of a major ship loader  structure located in Cerrejon, La Guajira, Colombia.  The steel structure consisted for several  structural sections and configuration and soil-moored-structure interaction.  The analyses also  consisted with the modeling of some components  to perform in the nonlinear range under dynamic loading.