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Structural engineering

Assess the performance of your structures and design solutions to enhance their functionality

Our structural engineering expertise to meet your needs:

  • Assess the performance of your existing structures or buildings in their current state of conservation (building, civil engineering, engineering structures)
  • Design the actions to be taken to restore structures’ initial level of service or increase their resistance capacity (concrete, metal, masonry and wood)
  • Assess the feasibility and design your modification or rehabilitation projects (bridge widening, replacement of bearings, modification of the operating methods, building raising, etc.)

Existing structure assessment: on-site inspection, mechanical testing and instrumentation

  • Non-destructive testing of structures (cover meter, radar, 3D tomography, etc.). Discover our dedicated content on auscultation and testing tools of structures and materials
  • Measurement of residual tension of prestressing cables using the “cross-bow” tensile measurement method
  • Surveying of the geometry of structures using in-situ measurement campaigns, infrared readings, photogrammetry and 3D scanning. Learn more about digital inspection
  • Verification of reinforcements (passive reinforcements, prestressing reinforcements) by NDT methods and testing
  • Sampling and compression tests on concrete cores or masonry blocks to assess residual strength.  Learn more about our materials laboratory
  • Visual classification, sampling and mechanical characterisation of wooden structures (solid wood, glued laminated timber)
  • Sampling and tensile tests on steel and puddled iron samples. Learn more about our materials laboratory
  • Instrumentation, establishment of alert/alarm thresholds, supervision and treatment of measurements, interpretation, monitoring. Learn more about our Monitoring solutions

Assessing the existing structure: studies, modelling and recalculation

Structural recalculation is the daily activity of our structural engineering office. Our experience in this field has enabled us to develop a solid verification methodology.
This effectively combines flexibility and thoroughness.

  • Its flexibility allows us to process input data which is often incomplete and to meet multiple needs: operational changes, analysis of defects, changes in the structure or its environment, taking a degraded state into account, etc.
  • Its thoroughness guarantees the reliability of our conclusions, which is vital in terms of structural safety and property management.
    The main stages in our methodology:

    • documentary study (structural file, old regulations, etc.)
    •  determination of the relevant normative and regulatory standards
    • pseudo-regulatory approach (adaptation of safety coefficients, regulatory criteria, etc.)
    • taking into account the state of conservation of the structure (residual resistance of materials, cracking, corrosion, degradation of ductility capacities, etc.)
    • 3D finite element modelling (Nemetschek SCIA Engineer® software, Graitec Advance Design®, Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis® and CESAR LCPC®)
    •  use of any instrumentation data and modelling calibration
    •  verification of structural safety, serviceability, fire resistance time
    •  identify the origin of the defects, assess their harmfulness
    •  assess the residual lifespan

Carrying out work on the existing structure: making safe, repairing or reinforcing

The immediate consequences of our studies: what actions to take?
Our engineering office has developed cutting-edge expertise in repair and reinforcement solutions, from the simplest to the most innovative. Our active technology watch ensures that we can always offer the technologies most suited to our customers’ needs: optimised cost and implementation time, minimal impact on operations, etc.
The techniques we practice daily in our studies include:

  • additional prestressing
  • bonded composite material
  • shotcrete
  • ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPC)
  • underpinning by micro-piles
  • jacking
  • structural injection
  • repair of wooden structures using composite rods
  • repair of metal structures by welding, bolting, riveting, etc.
  • emergency shoring or reinforcement
  • etc.

Modifying existing structures: supporting your projects

Your structures need to adapt to your changing needs.
We place our structural expertise at your service at all stages of your projects to adapt existing structures: from feasibility studies to execution studies.
Some examples:

  • building raising project
  • changes to the operation of a building
  • replacement of the roof cover
  • fitting with photovoltaic panels or green-planting of a flat roof
  • repair of a masonry arch bridge with a shotcrete counter-arch
  • repair of a hydraulic metallic conduct with shotcrete
  • widening of a bridge
  • reinforcement of an engineering structure by additional prestressing or bonded composite material
  • jacking and replacement of bridge’s bearings
  • bridges verification for exceptionnal loads

Our structural expertise: an essential tool for risk management

Thanks to our structural expertise, we can assess the actual performance of an existing structure and design the optimal measures required to guarantee its reliability, extend its service life, and enable its transformation:

  • We use 3D finite element modelling of the structure
  • We use instrumentation and auscultation data to calibrate the model
  • We verify structural safety, serviceability and durability in accordance with regulatory and pseudo-regulatory approaches
  • We recommend and design corrective measures, such as safety measures, repairs and reinforcement

 

The benefits for our clients:

  • Clear and precise answers on the actual performance of structures (e.g. load-bearing capacity, remaining service life and fire resistance)
  • Cost-optimised repair solutions
  • We provide cutting-edge expertise to ensure the success of projects such as building elevation, roof replacement and jacking of engineering structures.

 

The advantages of our structural engineering

Specialised engineering

in repair and reinforcement solutions

Expertise in all types of structures

engineering structures, buildings, civil engineering, etc.

30 years of experience

in civil engineering, building construction and engineering structures

Sustainable development

the durability of engineering structures reduces their environmental impact

Expertise in all types of materials

reinforced/prestressed concrete, steel, wood, masonry, regardless of the age of the building