Thor Heimdahl, P.E., S.E.

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Presents a SunCam continuing education series on the topic of:

Concrete Slab-on-Grade Design

Contact author at:
thorheimdahl@gmail.com
Chanhassen, Minnesota

Thor received a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, MN, in 1992. He completed a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1998, while working as a teaching and research assistant in the Geotechnical Engineering department.

Thor has been a practicing structural engineer since 1998, became licensed as a P.E. in 2003, a licensed S.E. in 2009, and has current or past licenses in 15 states. As a structural engineer and project manager, Thor worked at two outstanding structural engineering design firms: BKBM in Minneapolis and ERA in Saint Paul. He has also has served as engineer and manager on property development teams at two world class companies: Target Corporation and Life Time, both in the Minneapolis area.

Thor has in-depth experience designing steel, wood, and concrete structures nationwide. Buildings have been a mix of new and existing, and in high seismic zones. Areas of specialty include commercial buildings, structural steel connections, health clubs, swimming pools, deep foundations, and industrial slabs-on-grade. Thor has been the Engineer of Record for several complex buildings, including a 120,000 sf retail store in MN, a 360,000 sf refrigerated warehouse in TX with 105-foot high racking, and multistory health clubs with rooftop swimming pools in MN and IL.

Course Title Rating Hours Price

393-Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: From the Ground Up

(4.7) 76 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

This course guides the reader through basic knowledge necessary for designing and specifying concrete slabs-on-grade. The intended audience is design professionals who have at least a basic working knowledge of concrete and that understand simple engineering terms such as tension, compression, and bending.

The reader will find information ranging from the ground slabs are built upon, to slab properties and behavior, to the means of finishing a slab, and finally how slabs are cured for final use. Oftentimes, engineers know what the 28-day compressive strength of a concrete slab should be, but may not choose to dig deeper than that. It is true that slabs are mainly a convenient barrier between the dirt and the first floor of a building. However, as the reader will learn in this course, problems in slabs are often a result of poor soil conditions beneath the slab, or cracking of the concrete due to concrete shrinkage. So, while knowledge of strength is important, it is just the beginning. This course strives to further the knowledge of the reader, and help them make good decisions on behalf of the building owners they serve, and ultimately to design slabs-on-grade with minimal problems in service.

396-Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses I – Background & Loading

(4.6) 34 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

This course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses I – Background & Loading is the second in a series of courses on concrete slabs-on-grade.

The first course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: From the Ground Up presented knowledge necessary for designing and specifying concrete slabs-on-grade.

The third course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses II – Slab Design presents information on slab design methods, as well as recommendations for joints details, joint filler, and surface finishes.

The present course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses I – Background & Loading, contains information on slabs-on-grade in warehouse facilities that are subject to forklift and pallet jack traffic, as well as storage rack loading. The reader will learn background knowledge about warehouses with the goal of improved discussions with those who own and operate these facilities. For facilities with a poorly executed site soil and/or slab design, it is extremely costly to repair and maintain the slab joints. This includes the loss of efficiency while slabs are in a state of disrepair and during operational downtime when remedial action is taking place. This course identifies specific challenges of warehouse slabs, how they are different than typical buildings, and suggests approaches to the design and construction of these slabs to achieve optimal long term performance and minimization of maintenance costs.

This course focuses mainly on qualitative approaches to slab design and construction, but some quantitative design measures are presented and referred to. Design concepts are tailored to engineers with a background in statics and mechanics of materials, with some familiarity in concrete construction and design.

397-Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses II – Slab Design

(4.9) 17 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

This course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses II – Slab Design, is the third in a series of courses on concrete slabs-on-grade.

The first course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: From the Ground Up presented knowledge necessary for designing and specifying concrete slabs-on-grade.

The second course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses I – Background & Loading presents background information on warehouse facilities and the sites they are built on. Also, unique challenges are identified, as well as types of loading.

The present course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses II – Slab Design, teaches the reader how to provide warehouse owners and operators with slabs that are designed to handle the abuse that small hard wheels impose on slab joints. The course will also review how to design slabs for the loads that legs and base plates of heavy storage racks can apply on small areas of the slab, especially near discontinuities. Furthermore, information on joint construction, joint filler, and surface finishes are presented. The service life of a slab will depend on the durability of the concrete surface and joints. For facilities with a poorly executed slab design, it is extremely costly to repair and maintain the slab joints. This includes the loss of efficiency while slabs are in a state of disrepair and during operational downtime when remedial action is taking place. This course identifies the specific concerns of warehouse slabs, and suggests approaches to the design and construction of these slabs to achieve optimal long term performance and minimization of maintenance costs.

This course focuses on qualitative approaches to slab design and construction, as well as quantitative design measures useful in calculations. Design concepts are tailored to engineers with a background in statics and mechanics of materials, with some familiarity in concrete construction and design.

416-Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses III – High Performance Slabs

(4.9) 14 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

This course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses III – High Performance Slabs, is the fourth in a series of courses on concrete slabs-on-grade.

The previous three courses presented knowledge necessary for designing and specifying concrete slabs-on-grade, background information on warehouse facilities and the sites they are built on, unique challenges, types of loading, slab design methods, and recommendations for joints details, joint filler, and surface finishes.

The present course, Concrete Slabs-on-Grade: Warehouses III – High Performance Slabs, expands on the knowledge in the above courses by exploring more specialized design methods, loading and temperature extremes, and superflat floors. Time-tested slab design innovations used to mitigate issues with slabs will be presented. Situations where warehouse floors will be subjected to high demand loading and extreme low temperature conditions will be studied. Building slabs that require extreme flatness and are examined. A list of topics includes:

Topic #1 – Shrinkage Compensating Concrete Slabs

Topic #2 – Slabs with fibers:

a) Synthetic fibers (a.k.a., macrofiber), or
b) Steel fibers

Topic #3 – Slabs designed with continuous reinforcing

Topic #4 – Post-tensioned slabs-on-grade

Topic #5 – Cold Storage Warehouses

Topic #6 – Automated Racking Systems

Topic #7 – Superflat Floors

458-Cast, Lift, and Release: Tilt-Up Concrete Walls - Part 1: Construction

(4.8) 35 Reviews

5 $112.50

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

This course, Cast, Lift and Release: Tilt-up Concrete Walls, Part 1:Construction, is the first in a series of courses on tilt-up concrete walls.

This course focuses on informing the reader about the construction of tilt-up concrete walls. Background information on buildings and the sites they are built on, unique challenges, types of loading, design and construction methods, and recommendations for details.

Ideally, readers should be familiar with structural drawings, as well as construction terms related to concrete.

459-Cast, Lift, and Release: Tilt-Up Concrete Walls - Part 2: Design

(4.7) 11 Reviews

5 $112.50

Add 2-Course Set & SAVE 20% Add Course to Cart

Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

This course, Cast, Lift and Release: Tilt-up Concrete Walls, Part 2: Design, is the second in a series of courses on tilt-up concrete walls.

This course focuses on informing the reader about the structural design of slender exterior concrete walls subject to gravity loads from floors and roofs combined with out-of-plane lateral loads due to wind and earthquakes.

Ideally, readers should be familiar with statics and mechanics of materials, as well as concrete design.