Shoring System Mishap

[ProgressiveRescue]

I took these photos from a shoring job I came across. There's something to be said when it comes to understanding physics, forces and how loads are transfered in shoring systems.I thought this may spark some good chatter regarding shoring and be a good portal for anyone new to this disapline.With that being said can anyone else find the flaws in these?
If you're an instructor feel free to use these pics in your training programs.
Mike Donahue

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[PFDSquad47]

I can only enlarge 2 of the pics so I cant see the full detail. But to sum it up. This isnt a mishap. There is nothing in these pics that remotely resembles a correctly built vertical shoring system.

To start, assuming you are picking up a wooden floor the header should be 1" for every foot of span with a 4x4 minimum. But this must take into accout the actual load you are picking up, not just the type of floor. So a proper size up of contents on the floor above must be performed. A 2x10 header appears to be shown with almost no overhang. Minimum overhang should be 12". The vertical posts must maintain a slender ratio of 25 or less to ensure that the cupping of the wedges and crushing of the header will occur before the posts buckle. Again a 2x10 appears to be shown in what appears to be about 10' lengths. The sole plate should be equal size as the header which was way wrong. The posts must be wedged and gusseted to ensure proper weight distribution and prevent kick out. All posts must distribute their load into the sole plate. In the second pic the end post doesnt, it appears to make direct contact with the floor. Again, the sole plate should have a 12" overhang. There is a complete absence of diagonal or cross bracing which is what you could actually use that 2x lumber for but 2x4 or 2x6 is what is recommended.

Once again to sum it up, this isnt a mishap, this is a complete and utter failure at building a vertical shore. I hope this was performed by a fly by night do it yourselfer and not a fire department.

[ProgressiveRescue]

PFDSquad47
This operation was in fact performed by a tech rescue team.
You made a lot of great points. There was a basement in this building and shoring 101 tells you that in buildings constructed of wood floors and walls you must shore two floors below as well, in this case it would have been only one floor below, nevertheless there was not a second shore in place.
A simple understanding of what a "LD'' ratio is would have told them that a 2x10 vertical would not accomplish what they were trying to do. I must reiterate that I didn't post this thread to belittle the team that did this but rather through the knowledge in this forum cast out a better understanding as to what needs to be done as opposed to what sometimes gets done. There's a lot of engineering work that goes into these systems to ensure the load you ned to capture gets from point A to point B safely and correctly. I think an often overlooked facet of a system is nail patterns. Guys need to understand every nail you place in that gusset plate or brace has a shear strength and through testing engineers came up with nail patterns that are component specific for a reason. Building a shoring system is not like building a wall at home, before you go out and build these systems you need to recieve the proper training.
Thanks for the post PFDSquad47,
Mike Donahue

[PFDSquad47]

If that was indeed built by a technical rescue team, it only underscores the need for proper and continued training on the subject matter. Learning from a guy who happened to attend an 8 hr operations level course a few years ago does not make a technical rescue team. Unless the members of your team are trained to the technician level and have attended a nationaly recognized technician level course you remain nothing but a fly by nighter.

[GTRider245]

I am by no means an expert, but even I can tell that something is way off here. All of the problems I see (already mentioned) could have been avoided with a quick look at a FOG/SOG manual.

[PATF1engineer]

Can you repost the photos or give a link, they are not showing up on my computer. Might be a problem on my end also.

[ProgressiveRescue]

Thomas,
PM me your email address and I'll be happy to email them to you.
Mike Donahue

[RM31633]

Im a firm believer that a little bit of knowledge can be a harmful thing in the rescue world. And by the pictures posted i would like to say it probably was true here. I agree with all the technical reasons given by PFDsquad47 and also noted do we know what the load on the floor above was? why was the shoring put in place? As a member who has sat in on the rescue working group meetings on the national US&R level the attention to detail in the building of shoring systems is paramount. every nail counts, where and how they are placed makes a difference. Yes we have all probably "cut some corners" because of the situation we were in but that is not an excuse. So as to not beat the "TEAM" up i agree that no names should be tagged but i will use these pictures in my future classes as a learning experience. I have been involved in collapse rescue events both here in the states and in HAITI last year and did see and construct some unique shoring systems but the basic safety and integrity of the system should not be sacrificed for speed or lack or knowledge in the system, cause in the end its our lives and the patients lives at hand

[WCFD53]

What are your thoughts on the use of laminated Douglas Fir vs a "solid" piece of Douglas Fir for Rescue Shoring? We have access to a local manufacturer that produces laminated Douglas Fir beams and I am not sure if we should use the laminated stuff. Any feedback is most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[ProgressiveRescue]

What are your thoughts on the use of laminated Douglas Fir vs a "solid" piece of Douglas Fir for Rescue Shoring? We have access to a local manufacturer that produces laminated Douglas Fir beams and I am not sure if we should use the laminated stuff. Any feedback is most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I'm not an engineer so I can't give you a definitive answer here however from a rescuer/instructor viewpoint I can offer you my opinion. The shoring systems we build were designed by engineers using Doug Fir & So Pine. The stress ratings and PSI measurements were all figured into the lumber we use as well as the dimension of it. Even the shear strength of the nails used were factored into the assigned nail patterns. I wouldn't stray away from the specified lumber it's in the FOG manual for a reason.
Just my 0.02.
Mike Donahue

[WCFD53]

Mike;

Thank you for the feedback.

Bill

[ProgressiveRescue]

Your very welcome Bill.
Mike