AIR FREIGHT TERMINAL
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DOVER, DE
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The U.S. Air Force proposed to construct a 350,000 square foot warehouse structure for the storage of palleted freight at the Dover Air Force Base. The structure included a multi-level pallet storage system with a vehicle for transporting and lift freight, resulting in large slab loading conditions. The structure is surrounded with over 100,000 square feet of rigid and flexible pavement designed to handle heavy truck and equipment loading. The site of the proposed structure was previously developed with several existing structures (to be demolished) and was the site of a former runway and many small buildings of various use. The combination of the site conditions and the large building loads resulted in a challenging geotechnical scenario for the site.

Duffield Associates provided a geotechnical evaluation for the site. The evaluation included the performance of 50 Standard Penetration Test borings at the site, and soils laboratory testing, including Atterberg Limits, California Bearing Ratio and Proctor tests. Duffield Associates performed geotechnical analysis to determine a cost effective approach to foundation construction at the site. We also provided pavement section design, using the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) Pavement Design guidelines, as required for most military base applications.

In addition, our technical staff provided review services during the construction of the Air Freight Terminal and the surrounding pavement areas. Services provided included: foundation subgrade review, reinforcing steel and concrete testing, structural steel review, masonry review, and bituminous concrete pavement review.