Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Catch us at the Transportation Research Board 2025 Annual Meeting next week! WJE engineers Mohamed ElBatanouny, PhD, SE, Michael Brown, PhD, PE, FACI, Curtis Schroeder, PhD, SE, Saeed Nejad, PhD, and Thomas Van Dam will present on: - Integrating Non-Destructive Evaluation Technologies into Bridge Preservation and Management - Moving Toward Low-Carbon Concrete - Federal Highway Administration Long-Term Bridge Performance Program - Bridge Condition Forecasting and Effective Preservation Treatments Learn more: https://ow.ly/7w1850Uz5Ex #TRBAM

Happy New Year!

Construction materials scientist Anuj Parashar co-authored and presented his paper on "Why is Calcium Carbonate Required for LC3?" at the 18th National Council for Cement & Building Materials conference and received the Special Merit Award! Anuj also co-authored "Industrialisation of calcined clay cements: past, present, and future: a paper of RILEM TC 282-CCL," which was published in Springer Nature's Materials and Structures journal. View the abstract: https://ow.ly/YUjB50Uvp6y

Seventy-two employees from across our company deepened their knowledge and honed their skills at our recent Concrete Technology Workshop. Workshop attendees had opportunities to “do what we specify” and gain experience with various tools, technologies, and materials. Attendees participated in four days full of presentations, hands-on activities, and small group breakouts, including discussions on current and emerging technologies to reduce embodied carbon in concrete. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gVmJnWzK

Power of Microscopy || Value of Petrography 70 In our recent company-wide Concrete Technology Workshop, we had the chance to create our own mixtures using various cementitious materials and admixtures. I formulated a "UHPC" mixture with over ten components, including a small amount of sand, in a batch size of 0.0012 cubic feet. Most interestingly, this UHPC mixture shows no macro cracks (only very fine short craze cracks, 1st image), unlike most others (2nd and 3rd images), which underscores the importance of water content, paste volume, and early strength in controlling shrinkage cracks. Now, it's the time to make an ultra-thin and polished section to identify the six cementitious materials in this UHPC. Big thanks to the organizers and our materials engineers Kathleen Hawkins and Tiffany Szeles, PhD for their hard work setting-up and the creative station activities!

"Diana, The Spirit of Progress," the iconic 23-foot-tall statue, found her home in 1929 atop Montgomery Ward’s Administration building in Chicago. When the building was converted to residential use as One River Place in 2002, a new group of owners assumed stewardship of the building and statue. As a provider of construction phase services related to exterior wall maintenance and repairs to the structure, we reviewed the statue and identified necessary repairs for the statue and necessary repairs for the mounting of the statue to the building. The statue was removed from the building on December 14 and relocated to a studio for restoration and conservation.   The recent relocation was successful, and we thank our partners, including One River Place Condominium Association, Bulley & Andrews Masonry Restoration (BAMR), Stevenson Crane, Rigging & Heavy Haul, Sudler Property Management, International Scaffolding (Crete, Illinois), and Andrzej Dajnowski, Ph.D., Director at Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio, Inc., who will be performing the repairs and restoration of the statue. Video Credit: Andrew Conwell

We recently hosted students from Glenbrook North High School's Welding and Introduction to Engineering Design classes at our Northbrook, IL, headquarters. We provided an overview of our company, a tour of our Janney Technical Center laboratory, and an in-depth look at welding techniques. Our staff also provided insights on current projects we are working on and offered hands-on demonstrations, including a demonstration of breaking rebar in the Riehle machine.

Power of Microscopy || Value of Petrography 68 As a petrographer, I've had the privilege of working extensively on all types of "sulfate attack" projects. Thaumasite sulfate attack (TSA) and delayed ettringite formation (DEF) are two of such deterioration mechanisms. Notably, I've engaged in three foundation TSA projects in Michigan alone. This journey has expanded my experience, enabling me to analyze a wide range of materials impacted by various sulfate attacks, such as self-leveling underlayments and rapid set repair or grouting materials. I've shared my insights through several published articles and numerous conference presentations, aiming to enhance understanding in these distresses. While revisiting my articles due to a recent sulfate distress project (I know it's uncommon for people to revisit their own published works), I was pleasantly surprised to find my older publications still relevant and insightful. It's a testament to the lasting impact thoroughly-investigated work can have over time. I hope that these contributions can be valuable resources for others in the industry. Whether through project collaborations, root-cause diagnosis, or offering advice, I'm always eager to connect and share knowledge. https://lnkd.in/gwjuT8yZ https://lnkd.in/gm5jiNd9 Feel free to reach out if you're working on something similar or have questions!

Congratulations to the team on the award!