JAXPORT MARINE TERMINAL LOAD RATING

The scope of this project was to determine the capacity of each contracted berth for the Talleyrand Marine Terminal (TMT) and Blount Island Marine Terminal (BIMT), and provide the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) with a detailed summary, load rating, and maximum axle load for each heavy lift vehicle intended for use on the wharves.  A list of twenty different heavy lifting vehicles, recent inspection reports, and copies of the plan sets for both the original design and repairs were provided by JAXPORT to aid in the analyses.

This project included analysis of six unique berths, ramps, a railroad bridge, a trestle bridge, and steel sheet pile walls integral with abutments.  Structure types and complex features included: haunched, precast concrete panels made integral with pile bents, cast-in-place (CIP) flat slabs cast integral with pile bents, prestressed hollow core slab units made integral with pile bents, longitudinal crane-beams made integral with CIP slabs and transverse pile bents, steel sheet pile walls made integral with longitudinal pile bents utilizing both plumb and battered piles, complex pile bent geometry, varying strengths of concrete due to repairs and modifications, unique design vehicles with high axle loads, train loads, and areas with severe corrosion, spalling and delamination.

Load rating methodology was in accordance with AASHTO LRFD and AREMA, when applicable.  Personal responsibilities for the project included development of the finite element model of three BIMT berths and analyzing the output to develop vehicle load ratings using the Mathcad sheets created for this project.