Wilco is assisting engineering students from University Of Auckland in a testing programme to verify the performance of proprietary threaded inserts as a connection for precast wall panels. This is a result of the Christchurch earthquake when concerns were raised regarding the capacity of inserts and the load transferring mechanism. The testing, conducted at Wilco’s Papakura plant, has consisted of loading the panel foundation connection out-of-plane, both monotonically and cyclically, with various insert arrangements to assess the strength relationship between the panel and the connection.
The bulk of the research has been carried out by Part IV engineering students, Tautua Faitotoa and James Burley, however more recently Sam Corney and Yiqui Lu have been involved.
Photo shows Sam at work checking the calibrations.
