{"id":15031,"date":"2023-09-21T10:24:53","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T14:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/?p=15031"},"modified":"2023-09-21T10:24:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T14:24:57","slug":"deep-dive-with-mark-hatcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/deep-dive-with-mark-hatcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep Dive with Mark Hatcher"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our Deep Dive<\/em><\/a> series features our technical experts who give you an inside look at how we are solving complex infrastructure challenges for our clients from across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, we are highlighting a technical director from our Transportation business in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and how their team use their skills to deliver client responsive lifecycle management of bridges across the road and rail sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With over 30 years\u2019 experience and expertise in the design, construction, maintenance and demolition of structures, Mark Hatcher has been involved in the complete lifecycle of projects across the globe. He has worked on projects ranging from small community development projects in the remote mountain regions of Papua New Guinea, to multi-billion-dollar projects in major economies like the UK and Australia. Throughout his career, he has seen how structural engineering projects have the power to transform communities and change lives for the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the UK, local communities are sometimes divided on the benefits that projects may bring. Mark has welcomed the increasing importance of embedding Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles in all that we do, with a need to carefully balance the benefits and cost of infrastructure development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even where a project is agreed to be in the collective good, it is essential that we go as far as is reasonably practicable to mitigate impacts on specific groups that may be marginalized by any development. An example of a project where these factors have been challenging but immensely important to successfully meet, is ArchTam\u2019s work on the Huntingdon Railway Viaduct in Cambridgeshire, England, which is one of Mark\u2019s career highlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about the Huntingdon Railway Viaduct and why the project has been a major highlight of your career. How is it delivering a better world?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Huntingdon Railway Viaduct, once part of the A14 route, spanned the East Coast Main Line railway near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. It played a vital role in the UK’s transportation network, serving as a key artery for road freight and commuters. ArchTam’s involvement with the viaduct began 25 years into its design life when we were appointed to manage infrastructure in National Highway’s Area 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During routine inspections, we identified critical structural issues, including cracking at half-joints supporting the central span and defects in post-tensioning within supporting spans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Strain gauges placed across half-joint cracks showed increasing strains consistent with opening cracks and progressive half-joint failure.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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An x-ray emitter placed in the void of the structure produced a radiograph indicating tendons and voiding.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To assess the severity, we placed strain gauges to see if the cracks were increasing in size over time and used ultrasonic scans and x-ray imagery to detect damage in the post-tensioning ducts and the tendons. We then helped regrout the tendon ducts and implemented an acoustic monitoring system to continuously listen for any further damage in the tendons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n