Design of Foundations for Equipment Support

*Open only to Central Ohio Section Members
*Seating is limited to the first 25 people
*Bring your own lunch

Purpose and Background
Design of foundations for equipment support is often required in industrial and process facilities, yet this topic is rarely, if ever, included in the engineering college curricula. Engineers are left to learn on the job – a process that often produces a variability of foundation designs for similar installations. In some cases the design is performed by the engineers who may or may not even have structural background. Yet whenever any component of an equipment foundation fails, the resulting strengthening and retrofit activities are often very expensive and intrusive into the equipment operations.

There is a wealth of information developed by the engineering firms that specialize in the design of equipment foundations, but this information is often unknown to those who rarely perform such design. The purpose of the webinar is to provide an overview of the practical methods used for design of equipment foundations, introduce attendees to the common foundation solutions, and discuss the reasonable design assumptions.

The foundations for statically and dynamically loaded equipment are designed differently. The statically loaded equipment typically includes various electrical components, such as transformers, vessels (horizontal, vertical and spherical), mechanical equipment (heat exchangers, radiators towers), stacks, etc. The presentation includes some actual design drawings and practical details for some of these components. The dynamically loaded equipment includes compressors, turbine generators, pumps, blowers.

In addition to the foundations, the equipment support systems typically include anchors and grouting, and questions are often asked about designing and specifying both of these components. The instructor offers some specific guidance on these items as well.

RSVP to newsletter@centralohioasce.com by Tuesday, January 20, 2015.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn about the available foundation systems for supporting equipment
• Become familiar with the differences in the design approach for statically and dynamically loaded equipment

Webinar Benefits

• Explore the contemporary foundation systems used equipment support
• Find out which grout materials are most appropriate for various types of equipment
• Discover the practical methods of designing foundations for statically loaded equipment
• Learn why and how the foundations used for dynamically loaded equipment differ from those used for static equipment
• Find out how the latest code changes affect the design of anchors used in equipment support systems

Intended Audience

• Structural Engineers
• Civil Engineers

Webinar Outline

• Introduction
• Foundations for statically loaded equipment
• - General types
• - Design criteria and methods
• Introduction to foundations for dynamically loaded equipment
• Grout for equipment bases
• Anchors and concrete embedments for equipment support
• Avoiding foundations for equipment support in existing buildings
• Conclusion, final Q&A

See the ASCE website for more info.

The Central Ohio Section of ASCE sponsors free continuing education webinars as a service to our members. These webinars are produced by ASCE and normally cost $250 or $300 for ASCE members. However, the Central Ohio Section is paying the registration fee and inviting any interested section members to attend for free. Just RSVP by the deadline. Seating is limited, so do not delay.

You can see the complete list of webinars available from ASCE National on their website. If you see one you like, let us know. If you and your company would like to host one, let us know that too. If you open it up to any interested Central Ohio ASCE section members to come, we will pay the registration fee.