Blog posts of '2017' 'February'

Albina recently completed the spiral bending of 24 pieces of Tube Steel 14" X 4" X .500" WALL A500 GR B the easy way and 10 pieces of Tube Steel 12" X 3" X .375" WALL A500 GR B the easy way for a gorgeous spiral steel staircase at Brickell Academy in Virginia Beach, VA. All of the material for the curved staircase and landing was architecturally exposed structural steel. [caption id="attachment_1119" align="aligncenter" width="1632"] Floor View of Spiral Steel Staircase[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1120" align="aligncenter" width="1632"] Close Up View of Spiral Steel Staircase[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1121" align="aligncenter" width="1632"] 2nd Floor View of Spiral Steel Staircase[/caption]

Albina is much more than just a structural bending facility. We service ALL industries that might require bent steel. Recently Albina was involved with a large industrial application where we orovided Cargo Heating Pipe Coils for tanks in barges. We were responsible for bending, trimming and washing each of the 488 lengths x 40 ft 2" SCH40 SA106B SMLS to net 880 pcs. All bends were made to a 6” center-line-radius and our quality control department had to 100% QC parts to make sure the backwall thinning of the material was not below .079” and that ovality of the material was minimized. After processing the first phase of this project the customer immediately placed 3 more releases as they were pleased with the quality, fair pricing, communication and customer service offered by Albina.

Albina is currently working on 130,000 pounds of curved steel for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures located in LA. Albina is bending Square Tube Steel 6" X 6" X .500" WALL A500 GR B and Rectangular Tube Steel 7" X 4" X .500" WALL A500 GR B (approx. 190 pcs in total to various radii and configurations). The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be the world's premier film museum and a cultural institution for Los Angeles and will provide a destination for tourists to celebrate the magic and imagination of Hollywood and the movies. Check back for pictures as the project progresses.

Do you like innovative and eye catching architecture? You should take a look at the new LAX Midfield Satellite Concourse North Project. This new project is part of an estimated $1.2 billion dollar modernization program at Los Angeles International Airport. The satellite concourse will be a remote facility initially served by an airport busing operation and a passenger access tunnel (PAX) connection to the Bradley West Terminal. The new MSC will permit greater flexibility in scheduling improvements at other facilities, reduce reliance on remote gates, and ensure a high level of service for LAX passengers. Albina is partnering with Schuff Steel and is bending all of the steel for this project. There is over 1 million pounds of bent steel in this project consisting of curved HSS (Hallow Structural Steel) as well as structural steel members.

We are continuing our efforts to reduce our collective dependence on fossil fuel and we are installing a solar power system on our shop roof to derive clean, pure energy from the sun! We are doing our part to go green and reduce our carbon footprint. Here is what we are doing: • We are installing a 135kW (kilowatt) system. • The panels will be covering the roof of our 4th bay (this bay is 12,500 square feet)….that is a lot of solar panels. • Our building is perfect for solar as we have no shading and the panels will be southern facing for optimal efficiency for all seasons. • One array of solar cells will be 45 ft x 106 ft and the second array of solar cells will be 45 ft x 113 ft. • We will generate our own power for use. If we have excess power it will go back to the grid. What are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint? Do you consider the what your vendors or suppliers are doing to combat greenhouse gas emissions and global warming? People who are continuously looking for ways to improve their output without having an adverse effect on the environment is the type of vendor you want working for you. Vendors who look for new and innovative ways to improve their business will be the same ones that will give you a quality product and care about the outcome of your project.

While we would prefer a bridge to be constructed of mostly curved steel, steel can still add value in the construction of a concrete bridge. Post-tensioning is a form of "prestressing", meaning that the steel is stressed (pulled or tensioned) before the concrete has to support the service loads. A typical steel strand used for post-tensioning has a diameter of 15.7mm and a tensile strength around four times higher than an average non-prestressed piece of rebar. Albina completed a recent project consisting of 300,000# of 3-1/2"-5" OD pipe bent, cut, trimmed, weld marked and galvanized for thousands of pieces for a post tensioning piping (conduit) for a local bridge project. Our bent steel is then placed in a sheath or duct. This allows it to move as necessary when the tensioning force is applied after the concrete cures. The steel stretches as it is tensioned and it is locked into place, thus maintaining the force in the strand for the life of the structure. Please reference the following article written by BBR VT International LTD. to learn more about the benefits of post-tensioning, the different types of post-tensioning and how it is installed. You can also reference concretenetwork.com or the Post Tensioning Institute for more information.

We recently supplied rolled tubes for the Jimi Hendrix Park project in Seattle, Washington. The customer was so pleased with the rolled tubes that they received that they reached out to us to let us know. "We are currently in fabrication, we are looking at an install at the end of March. I will first say that the rolled tubes are exactly correct in terms of radius. You are experts at your craft and it shows." Remember that there is a price and a cost associated with every purchasing decision. Do not chose the lowest initial price or you may deal with excessive and unanticipated costs throughout the project. [caption id="attachment_1104" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rolled Tubes for Jimi Hendrix Park Seattle, WA.[/caption]