Blog

Suspended Platforms – Deception & Canoe Pass + San Rafael Bridge

December 27, 2022

Designing a suspended platform system presents unique challenges not commonly seen in other lines of engineering, which requires a different kind of in-depth plan behind each design. Like a well-constructed spider web, suspended platform systems typically consist of efficiently placed cables and chains working both together and against one another to create a balanced system…

Steel Culvert Rehab

DHC has recently completed multiple designs of arch and elliptical shaped steel casings for culvert rehab projects for InfraSteel. Structural load and stress calculations on the new casing sections were performed and submitted, to prove that the steel segments can safely support the full intended loading of the existing deteriorated culverts. Once certified and approved by the…

NCSEA – Award

DHC is proud to have been awarded the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations 2015 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award, for work on the Ballard Drive Bridge, in Seattle, WA. Click here to read published article on the project. The Ballard Drive Bridge is one of the many historic bascule bridges located in the…

DHC Expands to Seattle Area

After much planning and the steady encouragement of many of our customers, DHC is proud to announce the opening of an office in the greater Seattle area. With main branches in Santa Rosa & San Diego, and satellite offices in Oakland & Sacramento, the Seattle location becomes the 5th for DHC. This new office is being managed by…

Industry Leader – Guest Lecturer – UCSD

D.H. Charles Engineering, Inc. (DHC) was invited to be a guest lecturer for roughly 120 graduating seniors of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Structural Engineering department. With an established passion for educating the construction industry in engineering challenges and safety, DHC was more than happy to accept the invitation, and had the perfect…

SSPC – George Campbell Award

DHC is proud to have been awarded the Society of Protective Coating’s (SSPC) George Campbell Award, for work on the Fremont Bridge, in Seattle, WA. This honor is bestowed as recognition of outstanding achievement in the completion of a difficult or complex industrial or commercial coatings project. In an attempt to paint a clear…

Gaining Knowledge – Trench & Shoring Safety

The excavation shoring industry is consistently faced with the age-old challenges of working in unstable & changing soil conditions, managing groundwater, and protecting adjacent structures/utilities, while attempting to complete their work in a safe manner and remaining profitable. With projects getting progressively larger and more complicated, coupled with laws and specifications outlining very strict design,…

SIAC – A Historic Challenge

As our nation’s buildings and bridges continue to age and deteriorate, contractors are regularly challenged with completing retrofit, painting, abatement and other upgrades, without overloading or damaging the existing structures. With more and more federal, state, and local entities rewriting their specifications to put the structure evaluation and certification responsibility on the contractor, it has…

SAIA – Balancing Needs – A Bascule Bridge Story

Published in the September 2012 issue of SAIA By Jasper Calcara, PE If you can imagine the risks of two sumo wrestlers jumping on a child’s seesaw, you can start to visualize the challenges facing engineers on the Ballard Drive Bridge painting project. The Ballard Drive Bridge is just one of many…

MD Brace System Aids Cast-In-Place Job Off Lake Michigan

By: Tommy Marciniak – SPECIAL TO CEG Completing a cast-in-place project that measures 46 ft. (14 m) wide by 39 ft. (11.9 m) long by 35 ft. (10.7 m) deep near the shores of Lake Michigan is a challenging project in and of itself. Now add in the challenge of being in the middle…