HISTORY
Zug Island sits at the Southern city limits of Detroit, where the Detroit River and Rouge River meet. The island houses multiple facilities and structures dedicated to industrial and chemical manufacturing.
THE CHALLENGE
Zug island is home to many chemical and manufacturing structures, one of which required additional structural elements to help facilitate pollution control upgrades. PMC was contracted to create steel detailing plans generated via 3D models in SDS2. An unfinished boiler lacking the necessary stairs and platforms surrounding it needed upgrading. A partial staircase and platforms existed, leaving multiple ladders, stairs, pipes, and more to be added to the structure. The partial staircase and platforms, which needed to be measured and entered with detail and accuracy into SDS2, added difficulty to the project. Working with structures that are not straight and square creates a layer of complexity, as fitting straight beams to curved structures requires precise measurements and detailing. Scanners, SDS2, and reviewed with FARO WebShare.
Thanks to the measurements from the point cloud, PMC was able to identify several early-stage issues that provided cost and time savings for the project:
- Alterations for missed piping runs in the design documents
- Redesigning wall mounting to avoid poor demolition of previous concrete
- Adjusting floor framing to avoid grinding abandoned plates from mating beam flanges
A fifteen-minute scan performed by the FARO Laser Scanner helped the PMC team make construction suggestions that saved days on the project.
THE SOLUTION
PMC modelers built the existing cylindrical structure and its components into SDS2 using the measurements provided by one of the customers’ on-site engineers. The existing structures were added to the model, as well as the incomplete structures. The 3D model provided the ability to ensure that the final fabrication details could be worked out with certainty. This 3D model was then converted into individual precision shop drawings, providing the ideal format of detailed measurements for construction.
Using the comprehensive models and drafts provided, the client upgraded their equipment, adding the following:
- Steel beams and columns
- Stairs and handrails
- Ladders and safety ladder cages
- Allowances for pipes
- Platforms
- Spec fasteners based on on-site engineers’ requirements
Though the project successfully met the client’s needs, one proposed improvement would be utilizing laser scanning equipment to capture structures and data. Laser scanning and point cloud technology could have further assisted in precise steel detailing plans for the cylindrical and sloped structures.
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