This Free Webinar program is focused on exploring advanced techniques for assessing hidden deterioration, identifying corrosion risks, and investigating unknown structural conditions. Each webinar is 1 hour in length. Professional development certificates approved by the National Council of Structural Engineer Associations (NCSEA) are available for all participants for select webinars.
Please scroll down the page to view the presentation and recordings for each previous webinar or visit our YouTube channel for the recording.
Advanced Assessments Series
UPCOMING EVENTS
What Remains: Structural Assessments after Extreme Weather Events
Disasters like fires and floods leave more than just visible damage—they can silently compromise the structural integrity of concrete, posing risks long after the event has passed. For engineers and asset owners, understanding the true extent of post-disaster damage is essential for determining whether a structure can be repaired - and how.
High temperatures from fires can compromise the strength of concrete and steel reinforcement, while floods can erode foundations, cause scour, and accelerate corrosion in embedded reinforcement. Though signs of damage may be visible on the surface, understanding the true extent of structural deterioration requires deeper investigation.
This webinar will focus on non-destructive and destructive testing techniques used to assess damage caused by fire and flooding. Participants will gain insight into how these methods support accurate decision-making, and help engineers select the most effective repair and rehabilitation strategies.
As extreme weather events become more common, the ability to conduct rapid, reliable post-disaster assessments is more important than ever for asset owners, municipalities, and engineers responsible for infrastructure recovery and resilience.
Uncovering the Unknown: Investigating Hidden Structural Conditions
What happens when you're tasked with assessing a structure—but there are no original plans to guide you? This is the reality for many aging bridges, tunnels, dams, and marine structures. Foundations are often hidden, undocumented, and deteriorating quietly beneath the surface.
For engineers and asset owners, the inability to “see” what lies below presents a serious risk. Without a clear understanding of what you're working with, it's difficult to make informed decisions about load ratings, repairs, or long-term maintenance. Fortunately, modern non-destructive testing (NDT) methods offer a way forward.
This session explores how advanced techniques—like ground-penetrating radar, impact echo, pulse velocity, and half-cell potential testing—can reveal critical information about unknown foundations and subsurface conditions. These tools are transforming how we investigate structures when blueprints are missing, and risks are high.
Join us to learn how these testing methods are being applied in the field, what kinds of insights they can uncover, and how they support more confident, cost-effective decisions for infrastructure preservation.
Previous Events
Corrosion 101: Causes and Assessment Strategies
Corrosion in reinforced concrete isn’t always visible—but it’s one of the leading causes of long-term structural deterioration. It starts when aggressive agents like moisture, chlorides, and oxygen penetrate the concrete and disrupt the protective environment around the steel. As the steel corrodes, it expands, creating internal pressure that leads to cracking, spalling, and loss of structural durability.
Whether designing new structures or managing aging assets, understanding how and why corrosion starts is critical to preventing long-term deterioration. But knowledge alone isn’t enough—you need tools to detect what's happening beneath the surface.
This session introduces the fundamental mechanisms behind corrosion in concrete and explores how engineers can assess its presence and severity using both non-destructive and destructive evaluation methods. From half-cell potential to core sampling, you’ll gain insight into the techniques used to evaluate corrosion risk and inform repair strategies—without jumping straight to demolition.
If you're responsible for keeping concrete structures durable and standing for the long term, this webinar will show you where to start.
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or
Click here to watch the recording
Hidden Threats: Advanced Techniques for Investigating Corrosion in Post-Tensioned Structures
Post-tensioning (PT) systems are essential for structural integrity but often harbor a hidden threat: corrosion. This issue, particularly within bonded PT tendons, can remain undetected until it leads to catastrophic failure, primarily due to grouting defects like voids and soft grout.
Our upcoming webinar will explore advanced techniques, specifically Impact Echo/Pulse Velocity (IE/PV) testing, used by VCS, to identify these hidden defects in PT tendons. We will review case studies such as the Varina-Enon Bridge and the Ringling Bridge, where tendon failures underscored the need for proactive inspection.
Participants will learn how IE/PV testing has uncovered significant voiding and soft grout that traditional inspections missed, enabling early detection of corrosion. We will also discuss preservation methods like tendon drying, corrosion inhibitor impregnation, and regrouting, which mitigate damage and extend infrastructure lifespans.
Join us to gain invaluable insights into safeguarding PT systems and preventing costly failures.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE BLOG
or
Click here to Download Slides
or
Click here to watch the recording
