Challenge:
Design a support foundation for a large reheat furnace being installed at a local steel manufacturing plant to increase their production output. The weight of the new furnace is measured in millions of pounds, with dozens of individual support points for which several pedestals and walls were needed to provide anchorage and support. The site is located in a region of high seismic risk, and the new foundation would be constructed alongside an adjacent furnace and other associated equipment that would be in nearly continuous operation during the construction sequence.
Resolution:
Our engineering team developed a concrete foundation design that provides sufficient support for the furnace while remaining confined to the limited footprint within the existing building and the adjacent equipment. The design included a slab up to 5′ thick, several types of support pedestals, support walls with numerous openings, permanent soil retaining walls, access ramps, new building support columns, and precast concrete sections for those locations that could cease operation for only a very short time period.
