Improved Liftoff Testing Techniques for Post-Tensioned Anchors Webinar

Description

This webinar explores advanced approaches to verifying load retention in post-tensioned anchors used in dam applications, where long-term structural stability and dam safety depend on reliable anchor performance over design lives that often exceed 100 years. Participants will gain insight into the importance of load verification throughout the service life of post-tensioned systems and the limitations of conventional liftoff testing methods that rely on rapid, subjective operator observations. The session will highlight a refined single-strand liftoff testing approach implemented at Bluestone Dam that incorporates a data acquisition system to continuously record applied load and wedge displacement during testing. Attendees will learn how this enhanced methodology improves accuracy, captures detailed tendon behavior, and helps identify relatively small load losses that may otherwise go undetected using traditional procedures. Real-world testing results, lessons learned, and further refinements to the process will also be presented, providing valuable guidance for dam owners, engineers, and maintenance professionals responsible for evaluating the long-term performance and safety of post-tensioned anchor systems.