Allen Canning Company

Project Team

Structural Engineer: Burrough-Brasuell Corp.
Owner: Allen Canning Company
Architect: Burrough-Brasuell Corp.
General Contractor: Don Peters Construction
Steel Joist Manufacturer: NUCOR-Vulcraft
Steel Detailer: MBM Enterprises & NUCOR-Vulcraft
Steel Fabricator: MBM Enterprises
Steel Erector: Browers and Associates

Project Type: Industrial

Project Description

The Allen Canning Company has an existing food processing plant in Van Buren, Arkansas that produces a variety of canned vegetable products. This client desired a new structure to be erected over the existing structure that encompassed an overbuild area of 132,500 square feet. When construction was completed, demolition of the existing structure would be performed in accordance with USDA established requirements. The initial criteria established by the client included the following: 1- Maintain production without interruption. 2- The new structure had to fit the existing process equipment layout. 3- The client specifically requested long clear-span areas for future changes in process equipment layout. 4- The new structure must allow for open airflow due to process requirements. 5- The new structure was to be constructed with materials and coatings that would produce a maintenance-free and corrosion resistant structure within their processing environment to ensure adequate longevity of the structure. 6- The new structure must meet USDA requirements. 7- The new structure had to be erected from limited access points that created a very delicate balance for crane size and lifted load. 8- All roof-collected rain water must drain to one side of the building, necessitating a single roof-slope. To meet these criteria the final project design consisted of a stainless steel roof deck, galvanized joist and joist girders, galvanized columns, beams, bracing and girts and stainless steel insulated wall panels. The final criteria included all the requirements of the initial criteria with the exception of number one. The plant was shut down due to an ice-storm that caused a failure in the existing structure and the criteria was changed to a fast-track construction with a specific date requirement. This is addressed in the section 'What made the Project Interesting?' The project was set up into seven sequences by NUCOR-Vulcraft. Sequence One shop drawings were submitted February 9, Sequence Two February 12, Sequence Three February 19, Sequence Four and Five February 20 and Sequence Six and Seven February 27. All shop drawings were returned to NUCOR-Vulcraft within a 24-hour turn-around. Three weeks after Sequence One was approved galvanized joists and joist girders were delivered to the job site to be erected on the structural steel that had been delivered and erected one week earlier. This procedure was maintained throughout the project until complete, in spite of the month of May this year being the wettest May on record. From the start of joist engineering by NUCOR-Vulcraft and the detailing of the structural steel by MBM Enterprises, the fabrication and erection of 391 tons of joist/joist girder, 254 tons of structural steel, and installation of 132.5 squares of stainless steel deck was 92 days. The joist and joist girder erection took 50 days.

What Makes This Project Interesting

Construction of this project began in December 2008. In mid-February, when the foundations were being installed during off-process hours, an ice storm struck the plant and caused structural failure of the facility. The failure of the existing structure caused a production shut-down and production was shifted to other plants. Originally, no time requirement was in place for the completion of the project but the failure made it imperative that all phases of the project be completed by June 1, 2009 in order to re-establish processing for new crops and meet contractual obligations. Fortunately, the structural erection schedule was already set up as a fast-track sequence for a different reason. Because of the limited access points, the contractor decided to use a 500-ton crane to erect the steel structure. Due to the substantial cost of the crane per day, the project schedule was accelerated to a 60 day period. The structural steel was erected ahead of schedule, in 50 days. The choice of all-galvanized material created many changes in the standard joist/joist-girder construction utilizing a combination of welding and bolting. Working very closely with the NUCOR-Vulcraft engineering department bolted connections were designed and detailed for all conditions. These conditions included the following: 1- Bolted splices in joist girders up to 105' - 0" in length. 2- Design of joist girder bolted connections to transfer diaphragm loads to x-bracing bays. 3- Connection of joists to joist girders to transfer diaphragm load from bolted roof deck collector angles. 4- Bolted roof equipment frames to joists that also located additional top chord reinforcement to be added at the plant. 5- Bolted joist bottom chord connections to transfer wall panel loads into the roof diaphragm. 6- All horizontal x-bridging was bolted. The resulting modification for bolting the K and KCS joists changed the bearing from 2- ½” to 5” and Joist Girders bearing became 12” as a standard for this project. Performing analysis and creating plans and details in the time required was made possible by extensive use of software and BIM modeling. Structural Desktop® was used to create analytical models of all initially proposed designs and to provide accurate quantities so that the different models could be cost-analyzed. The use of SJI steel joists and joist girders, supported by this program, permitted complete structural and cost analysis. The Structural Desktop Translate program was used to create RISA 3D and GT STRUDL® analysis files, then the RISA 3D model was used to create a RISAFoundation® model to design the foundations and RISABase® was used to perform baseplate design. Analysis results were used with DESCONWin® to create the bolted connection details, and Structural Desktop was used again to provide the overall structural drawings. The accelerated schedule was met due to the integration capabilities of the software, the close co-operation between all parties involved and an excellent client that made very timely decisions.

Advantages Of The Chosen Structural System

The primary advantage of the chosen joist/joist-girder design was cost and the commitment of NUCOR-Vulcraft to an accelerated delivery schedule to match the project requirements. The design was compared with a precast concrete structure, a pre-enginnered building structure, a structural beam-and-joist system and a fabricated truss and joist system. Due to a combination of poor soil conditions and client requirements for open-span bays and airflow, the precast concrete structure was eliminated. The pre-engineered building system and beam-and-joist concepts were more expensive due to custom bay requirements and lack of flexibility in the design requirements, and these were also eliminated. The fabricated truss and joist concept met the design requirements but was more expensive and could not meet the delivery schedule. This left the joist/joist-girder design as the best and the most viable choice. The joist/joist-girder construction provided the lightest components with the most efficient structural characteristics for the conditions of the project. The final structure met all of the client requirements. Under the time constraints, NUCOR-Vulcraft worked directly with the fabricator, MBM Enterprises, the contractor, Don Peters Construction, and the engineering company, Burrough-Brasuell Corporation to produce structural components with a two-week turnaround from approved shop drawings to delivery for galvanizing.

Project Scope

The initial scope of the project was to produce an overbuild that encompassed 100,000 square feet in two phases, with no time constraints. Before the existing structure failed, the scope had been changed to a 132,500 square foot facility overbuild. The structural failure of the existing facility dramatically altered the project schedule. The new project schedule changed to require complete construction and demolition in a single phase with a 90 day window. All client and USDA requirements were met or exceeded in the final structure. The final work enviroment created for the workers is immeasurably better than that in the original structure because of airflow control improvements. From a close, cramped and humid processing plant, the workers now have an open, airy, comfortable and safe working environment that has become a showplace for the parent corporation. The project was completed 3 days ahead of schedule and within budget.

Project Details

Project Construction Cost: $ 7.5 Million
Joist cost, including fabrication and erection: $ 1.4 Million
Size (square ft.): 132,500
Roof area using joists (square ft.): 132,500
Joist area (square ft.): 132,500
Joist engineering to delivery (# days): 42
Joist erection (# days): 50

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