Forensic Engineering Analysis of a Commercial Dry Storage Marina Reinforced Concrete Runway Slab

Abstract

An important element of a commercial marina is the landside site work behind the bulkhead. At many dry storage marinas, boats are launched, retrieved, and handled by large forklifts with axle loads up to 100 tons. In this case, the owner of a commercial marina sued the general contractor, alleging numerous design and construction defects in the reinforced concrete “runway” between the dry storage buildings and the bulkhead. This auger cast pile supported structure served as a relieving platform carrying vertical loads below the depth of the adjacent bulkhead. Some of the observed deficiencies were random cracking, joint damage, excessive edge settlement, and readily visible live load deflections. This paper presents the methods used to investigate the design and construction of this specialized structure. A finite element model (FEM) was used to review the original design intent and help establish the cost to cure. The original design of the runway and pile foundations was found to be inadequate.