Concrete accomplishment: strong wall taking shape in Centre for Engineering Innovation

The concrete pour for what will be Canada's largest strong wall, located in the new Centre for Engineering Innovation, went off flawlessly Thursday, July 7. The 11-metre wall, which will be used to test the strength and durability of vertical building segments, will be a highlight feature of the building and will provide unique research opportunities for students, researchers and industry.

Sreekanta Das, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a consultant on the project, says the wall is a reaction frame that will allow testing on such structures as towers and columns for resistance to wind and earthquake forces.

Watch a video explaining the construction process on the UWindsor YouTube channel.

Workers pour concrete into forms to create the 11-metre-high strong wall for the Centre for Engineering Innovation. About 430 person-hours went into preparations for the wall, which required 154 cubic metres of concrete pumped over an eight-hour period. Operators on the platform control the concrete pump from a boom to allow a nozzle to be dropped close to where the concrete will be placed. Keeping the nozzle close to the pour location prevents the mixture from separating and compromising the structural integrity of the wall.

Workers check the structure's forms and use vibrating tools to consolidate the concrete and prevent bubbles and other flaws from forming in the concrete mixture.