If you are in doubt about the soundness of all parts of the structure of your cooling tower, then a thorough inspection and structural analysis may be needed. Cooling tower structures can be damaged by high wind, vibration, biological or chemical attack, seismic event or age. The strength of structural members in a cooling tower decreases with prolonged exposure to hot water. The compression strength and MOE are reduced. The software we use analyzes the structure when all of the load combinations of dead loads, live loads, seismic and wind loads are applied. The stress and deflection on every structural member and joint in the tower is calculated and analyzed. Samples of structural members taken from the cooling tower can be tested in a laboratory to determine the actual physical properties. These actual physical properties can be input in to the structural analysis program to determine if any are in danger of failure. The registered professional engineers who perform the structural analysis have many years of experience with wood, fiberglass and concrete cooling towers.
