Structural Inspections
Fickett Structural Solutions performs structural inspections. Each inspection varies by project location and structure type. We offer independent inspections on a variety of structures, including buildings, bridges, and hydraulic steel structures. Our services are tailored to specific project requirements.
Fickett’s team of Professional Engineers (PE) and Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs) offers extensive experience with various steel structures from design to fabrication, through construction, to project completion in fabrication shops and on project sites.
Fickett works with owners, engineers, and contractors to ensure their project is built according to plans, specifications, and applicable codes. We are dedicated to providing our clients with prompt, efficient, and cost-effective inspections that meet their unique needs.
Types of Inspection Services
- Initial
- Routine
- Nonredundant Steel Tension Member (NSTM)
- Emergency/Damage
- In-Depth
- Quality Assurance
- Interim/Special
- Scour Monitoring
- Drone
Rope Access Capabilities
- Bridges
- Ancillary Structures
- Stadiums
- Buildings
- Hydraulic Steel Structures
Our Inspection Capabilities
The Fickett team excels at offering structural inspections that are tailored to specific project requirements on a variety of structures–including bridges, hydraulic steel structures, and highway ancillary structures.
Our team of engineers and inspectors has been active in all aspects of structural NBI inspections for over 25 years. We’ve provided thousands of these inspections for federal, state, and local agencies across the country.
Rope Access Inspection Methods
We use ropes to access portions of a structure that otherwise may be inaccessible or costly. Many of Fickett’s inspectors are certified by the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT).
Once they have passed SPRAT training, each inspector is issued a rope access harness/kit, which allows them to perform all the basic maneuvers required to perform an NSTM bridge inspection. This equipment allows our team to perform an arm’s length inspection of all steel elements and details on your structures. Meanwhile, a Level III Supervisor is always on-site for all rope access activities.
Thanks to our use of ropes, Fickett’s team of inspectors is able to access even the most challenging locations, allowing us to conduct comprehensive inspections of all critical components.
Drone Inspections
Fickett owns small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), commonly referred to as drones, and has FAA-certified Remote Pilots on staff.
Additionally, drones provide a simple and fast method of verifying changes in conditions when further monitoring is required between inspections.
Our in-house capabilities focus on providing additional documentation and detail to our Routine and NSTM Inspections, allowing our inspectors to view and document areas of the bridge that would otherwise require extensive and time-consuming access methods.
Related Structural Services
Bridge Load Ratings
Fickett performs load rating analysis for structure types, ranging from simple three-sided box culverts to more complex multispan steel trusses.
We can perform analysis, utilizing Allowable Stress, Load Factor, and Load and Resistance Factor methods per AASHTO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, and the Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE).
Bridge Design and Repair Design
With expertise in steel and concrete systems, Fickett is capable of performing new and replacement bridge designs, detailed repair plans, and tailored preservation strategies to ensure compliance with AASHTO and other official standards.
Our design work emphasizes client needs, durability, safety, and constructability.
BROWSE OUR SERVICES
Fickett Structural Solutions, Inc. offers a variety of services–each backed up by expert capabilities and proven experience by our knowledgeable engineering team.
Working with owners, architects, engineers, and contractors, our expertise includes the inspection, testing, and life cycle analyses of bridges, culverts, highway ancillary structures, and hydraulic steel structures–all with a focus on durability and performance over time.
