University of Texas Health Science Center – McDermott Building

The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX obtained a grant to purchase a new MRI unit to be installed at the McDermott Building. Because the new unit was too heavy for the existing concrete slab, Mobile Enterprises was asked to remove and replace the existing slab with a new 3’-0” thick, fiber reinforced concrete slab. The new slab had to have exact tolerances for placement of the new magnet. To get the new unit into the building, an exterior wall had to be removed. An oversized opening was framed into the CMU/brick veneer wall and covered with insulated metal panels.

At the same time, UTHSC decided to move their existing MRI magnet from the slab-on-grade section of the building to a portion of the building constructed over a crawl space. Mobile Enterprises was asked to reinforce the existing concrete pan-joist floor slab system using carbon fiber reinforced laminate strips and carbon fiber fabric. The laminate strips had to be installed over the top of joists as well as along the bottom of the joists, with U-shaped carbon fiber fabric strips applied at one foot intervals. A self-leveling floor topping system was used to obtain the require floor flatness.

Utilizing two MRI machines has greatly improved the ability and capacity of the Health Science Center’s team to conduct important research.

Project: McDermott Building

Owner: UT Health Services Center San Antonio, TX

System: M-Brace Composite Strengthening System

Completed: July 2003