CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWEDESIGN REPORT

VICTORIA FALLS AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER

1.0 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS DESIGN REPORT

NCUBE
BURROW

SEPTEMBER 2014

1
NCUBE BURROW CONSULTING ENGINEERS:
VICTORIA FALLS CONTROL TOWER

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWEDESIGN REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Background

Design Considerations

Foundation

Superstructure

Design Parameters

Material

Reinforced concrete

Reinforcement

Steelwork

Mansory

Conclusion

2
NCUBE BURROW CONSULTING ENGINEERS:
VICTORIA FALLS CONTROL TOWER

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWEDESIGN REPORT

Background
The control tower at Victoria falls is a glass enclosed elevated structure for the visual
observation and control of the air and ground traffic. Due to the length of the new
runway which is 4km and the need for adequate eye height and visibility to runway
threshold 12 and runway threshold 30, the tower is 28.15m high above the ground
level.
Design Considerations
1.0 Foundation
Foundation adopted for the tower is a raft foundation because of the low bearing
capacity of the existing soils. Kalahari sands have a low bearing pressure and are
classified as collapsible soils. The foundation has to be excavated to 4m below natural
ground level and control compacted. Acceptable quality material has to be imported
and compacted in specified layers to achieve a bearing capacity of 150kPa. The main
concrete raft for the tower has a 12530mmx12530mm square footprint as opposed to a
circular footprint. The original circular footprint was under designed and would have
led to the structural instability of the Control Tower. The concrete raft is 1000mm
thick. The main building is founded on similar soil raft at shallow depth utilizing a
system of pad footings and ground beams.
2.0 Superstructure
The control tower is a concrete structure which is circular in shape with 300mm thick
outer walls. It has got a lift shaft inside and the thickness of the lift shaft is 250mm
thick. Design wind speed of 100km/hr was used and a statistical analysis was
performed based on the recorded wind speeds of the last 50 years. Consideration and
technical analysis was carried out to check whether damping of the tower was
necessary. Aerodynamic modifications were made by adding stiffening beams at 5m
or less intervals on the tower. This was an important consideration which had been
overlooked by the Chinese designers. The cabin level structure has a higher mass than
other floors. This gives some aerodynamic stability to the tower. The control tower
frame is braced at all levels up to cab level.
The main building structure consists of beams and columns.

3.0 Design Parameters

It was important to verify whether the tower as designed was consistent with the
following codes. In this regard a detailed analysis and calculations based on the
following codes were used in the design of the control tower and the main building:
BS8110: Structural Use of Concrete
BS6399: Loadings for Buildings
BS5950: Structural Use of Steelwork In Building
BS5628: Use of Masonry
3
NCUBE BURROW CONSULTING ENGINEERS:
VICTORIA FALLS CONTROL TOWER

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWEDESIGN REPORT

FAA Order 6480.7D (2004): Airport Traffic Control Tower and Terminal
Radar Approach Control Facility Design Guidelines.
The recommended typical loading conditions, as indicated in SANS 10160 General
Procedures and Loadings to be Adopted in the Design of Building are indicated in the
following table:
Usage

Allowance

Lounge room

Live load
Allow for light partitions:
Live load
Live load

2.5kN/m
1.0kN/m
4.0kN/m
5.0 kN/m2

Live load
Live load
Live load
Screed: thickness:

4.0 kN/m2
3.0 kN/m2
2,0 kN/m2
40mm

Conference Room
Storage areas for
furniture
Corridors
Ablution areas
Accessible flat roofs

Comment

These areas to be specifically

indicated on architectural layouts

Note: As a general rule, an allowance of 0,5 kN/m2 has been made for ceilings and services.

4.0 Materials

4.1

Structural Materials

The material properties for the principal structural elements are set out below:

4.1.1

Reinforced Concrete

The following values were assumed for design purposes:

Design Strength
Foundations
30 MPa
Columns
30 MPa
Strongroom walls
30 MPa
All other structural elements
25 MPa
Youngs Modulus
26 kN/mm @ 28 days
Ambient Relative Humidity
45%
Coefft. Of Thermal Expansion
10x10-6/C

4
NCUBE BURROW CONSULTING ENGINEERS:
VICTORIA FALLS CONTROL TOWER

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWEDESIGN REPORT

4.1.2

Reinforcement
High Tensile Reinforcement
Mild Steel Reinforcement

4.1.3

Steelwork
Structural Hollow Sections, Grade
Rolled Sections, Grade
Cold Formed Purlins

4.1.4

450 MPa
250 MPa

300WA
350W
225MPa

Masonry
Load-bearing (if applicable)
Face brickwork
Partition walls and internal walls

14MPa (min)
14MPa (min)
10 MPa (min)

5.0 Conclusion
The design and structural layouts done by the Chinese designers were not
corresponding to architectural drawings. This can be proved by main building layouts.
The curved beams on the main building have different radius as compared to the
radius of the control tower. The radius of curved beam on main building is R3.2m
whilst the radius on the control tower is R2.85m. This will cause the two structures
not to tie up properly and this will also affect the reinforcement of the beams and the
slab as well.
Materials to be used on the Control tower and main building, was also important to be
considered in the design as this was also overlooked by Chinese designers. The
Chinese designers did not specify the type of steel to be used, they just mentioned the
size of steel only. This resulted in the changed of type and diameter of steel used in
the design. For the main building the Chinese designers used slab thickness of 120mm
and the main steel reinforcement used was 10mm diameter bars. But after
considering the permissible superimposed loadings values the slab thickness was
changed to 200mm thick, with main reinforcement of Y12mm diameter bars.
The Chinese designers did not provide the drawings for the staircases for both
structures i.e Control tower and main building. Chinese designers did not also provide
the bending schedules for Control tower and main building.
Generally the design which was done by the Chinese designers was not economic, this
can be proved by the sizes of beams used on the roof beam layout, some beams were
600mm deep while others were 500mm deep whereby 400mm deep beams were
sufficient after considering permissible superimposed loading values.

5
NCUBE BURROW CONSULTING ENGINEERS:
VICTORIA FALLS CONTROL TOWER

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWEDESIGN REPORT

6
NCUBE BURROW CONSULTING ENGINEERS:
VICTORIA FALLS CONTROL TOWER