The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) formed of a seismic design task group in 2005. According to Jim Baty, Technical Director of the TCA, the task group was formed as a proactive measure to involve the experts in the Tilt-Up industry.

Responding to concerns regarding the performance of Tilt-Up structures during earthquakes in high seismic regions, largely due to incomplete information on both design and performance characteristics, this group is charged with identifying the current state-of-the-art Tilt-Up design procedures and standards for seismic performance and developing modifications to the current building code provisions based on these current state-of- the-art procedures and standards. The task group has begun to develop models for current design practice as well as solutions for dynamic modeling through the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) and proposed detailing through the American Concrete Institute (ACI).

“The task group will concentrate on understanding the dynamic behavior unique to Tilt-Up buildings with flexible diaphragms and its impact on seismic loads applied to panels, details for connections, design of the panels, and adjustments to the current code,” said Baty. “Additional studies will be undertaken on complex façade perimeters and irregularly shaped buildings, recognizing the increasing number of Tilt-Up buildings with these trends.”

Members of the task group include:

· Jim Baty – Technical Director of the TCA.

· James Lai – Retired Structural Engineer from California involved in determining the difference between ACI and the Uniform Building Code (UBC) for changes that are occurring.

· John Lawson – Practicing Structural Engineer from Kramer and Lawson, Inc. from Tustin, Calif. and a member of the ACI 551 committee.

· Geoff Banks – Practicing structural engineer from Christchurch, New Zealand.

· Gerry Weiler – Consulting engineer from Vancouver, British Columbia, past chair of ACI 551 and a TCA member.

· James Dorr – Architect from Arcadia, Calif. involved in Tilt-Up since 1967 and a TCA member.

· Joe Steinbicker – Consulting engineer from Ohio, past chair of ACI 551 committee and a member of the TCA Board of Directors.

· Phil Kopf – Consulting engineer from Georgia and a member of both ACI 551 committee and the TCA Board of Directors.

· David Kelly – Vice President of Engineering for Meadow Burke – a leading manufacturer of lifting hardware and other Tilt-Up accessories. He is currently chairman of the TCA Technical Committee and a member of the TCA Board of Directors.

· Ed Alsamsam – Representative for the Portland Cement Association (PCA).

· Lance Osborne – Representative from Meadow Burke.

· Itzhak Tepper – Consulting engineer from Virginia

· Dr. Koladi M. Kripinarian – Vice President of Concorde Consulting Group of San Diego, California

· Ed McGuire – Contractor from Texas and current chair of ACI 551 – Tilt-Up Concrete.

· Jim Ness – Consulting Engineer, Principal of Monroe & Newell Engineers, Inc. of Denver, Colorado

· Mark Ash – Engineer from material supplier Ramset New Zealand of Auckland, New Zealand

· Steve Ray – Consulting Engineer from LJB, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio

· Trent Nagele – Consulting Engineer from VLMK Consulting Engineers of Portland, Oregon

· Dave Goff P.E., S.E. – Consulting Engineer from Kramer Gehlen & Associates of Vancouver, Washington

Consultants and advisors to the task group include:

· S.K. Ghosh – former Director of Engineering Services, Codes and Standards for PCA and an adjunct professor of civil engineering at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He is recognized as an international expert on earthquake engineering.

· Neil Hawkins – Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois – Urbana. He is author of the book Reinforced Concrete Structures in Seismic Zones and a member of the 2008 Provisions Update Committee for the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC).

· Bob Bachman – Chairman of ASCE 7 seismic task committee. He is also involved in the NEHRP performance task committee and the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) seismology committee.

· Matt Senecal – Engineer with the ACI Engineering Department. · Dan Falconer – Technical Director of ACI.

For more information about the committee, contact Jim Baty at 319-895-6911 or jbaty@tilt-up.org.