NELSON May 15, 2018 Rob D. Daake ‘Abernathy Roeder Boyd & Hullett P.C. P.O, Box 1210 McKinney, Texas 75070 File: McKinney Independent School District Stadium [Nelson File No: 20125 McKinney, Texas Dear Mr. Daake: Nelson Forensics, LLC (Nelson) was authorized by Mr. Rob Dake with Abernathy Roeder Boyd & Hullett P.C. (client) to investigate cracking concrete flatwork at the concourse level of the McKinney Independent School District Stadium in McKinney, Texas. Nelson was tasked with determination of the potential cause(s) of the distress, as well as the effectis) of the distress as related to strength and serviceability of the evaluated stadium components. This initial report is preliminary in nature, and the findings presented herein are based upon Nelson's preliminary investigation, a limited document review, as well as the results of an initial testing protocol. Nelson reserves the right to supplement or change the opinions presented herein upon further investigation, document review, testing, and/or analysis. Nelson's scope of work, observations, discussion, analysis, and opinions presented in this report pertain to the home side concourse level flatwork. Scope of Work Nelson performed a preliminary review of the received information pertaining to the stadium including, but not limited to, construction drawings, specifications, concrete mix designs, concrete field reports, and concrete materials test reports. Nelson observed the exposed portions of the top surface of the home side concourse level concrete flatwork. Nelson performed Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys at select locations of observed distress. Nelson developed a distress map indicating locations, lengths, and approximate widths of cracks in the home side concrete flatwork at the concourse level, as well as photographically documented observed distress and general conditions.Preliminary Distress Evaluation Project Name: McKinney Independent School District Stadium May 15, 2018 Nelson File No.: 20125 Page 2 The stadium is a multi-purpose facility, which incorporates a community event center at its southern extent. The stadium consists of four distinct levels. The home side concourse level is the subject of this report, and is the main assembly level for the stadium. Only concourse areas with exterior exposure were evaluated by Nelson. Additional areas of the concourse level enclosed within concession and service buildings were not subject to the initial phase of Nelson's investigation. Description of Home Side Concourse Concrete Flatwork The flatwork at the home side of the concourse level is constructed of conventionally reinforced concrete slabs-on-grade and an elevated, conventionally reinforced, cast-in-place one-way concrete slab. Observations Nelson observed numerous cracks throughout the concourse level flatwork at the home side of the stadium. The widths of the cracks varied throughout; however, they were regularly observed to be greater than .02" in width. Concrete joints were located at the home side's concourse flatwork. Joint spacing varied up to approximately 20' apart, and joint depths were measured to not exceed approximately 3/4" in depth. The observed joint spacing was irregular. For example, rectangular areas measuring approximately 100 square feet were located directly adjacent areas measuring approximately 400 square feet. Furthermore, numerous joints did not intersect to form rectangular areas. Rather, some joints form trapezoidal or, in some instances, triangular shaped areas, An illustration depicting the extent of the observed concourse level cracking; as well as the locations of the concrete joints, test areas, and a general layout of the stadium's concourse level is attached to this report. Concourse Flatwork: Discussion and Analysis Concrete shrinks as it cures, and thus steel reinforcement is provided within a concrete cross section to control volumetric contraction due to the shrinkage. When shrinkage reinforcement is inadequate or when the shrinkage of the concrete is excessive, the internal tensile stresses in the shrinking concrete cross-section exceed the tensile capacity of the material, and fractures develop in the concrete. In addition to shrinkage reinforcement, joints are provided in on-grade concrete flatwork to control the location of cracking that does occur.Preliminary Distress Evaluation Project Name: McKinney Independent School District Stadium May 15, 2018 Nelson File No.: 20125 Page 3 The stadium's construction drawings, prepared by Stantec, specify the concrete joints for the on-grade flatwork at the home side of the concourse. Detail B on sheet $302 of the construction drawings indicates that joints shall be constructed with a maximum spacing of 10 feet on-center in each direction where the concrete slab is exposed. Detail B further indicates that the concrete joints shall be constructed with a depth of one-quarter of the overall depth of the slab. Which, for the flatwork at the home side concourse level, equates toa minimum required joint depth of 1 1/4", significantly greater than the greatest measured depth of approximately 3/4”. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is the construction industry authority on concrete design and construction. ACI's document 224.3R-95: Joints in Concrete Construction states: Joints should be spaced so that the slab on grade is divided into small rectangular areas. Squares are preferred, but the slab geometry may dictate otherwise. As a general rule, ratios of the long to short side should not exceed 1.25 to 1.5... Odd shapes should be avoided, but if they cannot be avoided, re-entrant comers should be reinforced to limit the cracking at these locations. Comparing the as-built layout of the joints to the foregoing criteria, many of the concrete joints at the home side concourse flatwork were constructed in direct conflict with the construction documents and best industry practices. To further investigate the concourse flatwork, Nelson obtained ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements at select concourse level locations using a Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc, (GSS!) StructureScan™ Mini HR. The GPR evaluation was performed to investigate the locations of reinforcing steel within the concourse level flatwork at select locations where concrete cracking was observed. Nelson evaluated the concourse level at 11 locations on the home side flatwork as indicated on the attached illustration, The GPR survey revealed that the majority of the evaluated steel reinforcing bars were uniformly spaced and located at 2 uniform depth below the surface of the concrete surface, in general conformance with the construction documents and standard practice. However, multiple GPR anomalies occurred at a portion of the home side concourse flatwork, near the main entryway, that are coincident with slab cracks in the flatwork, These anomalies are consistent with the existence of utility conduits within the concrete slab placement; however, further evaluation is necessary to confirm these findings. To date, Nelson has been unable to identify any drawing or detail for in-slab utility conduits within the received construction documents. The presence of in-slab conduit in a relatively thin slab on grade increases the susceptibility for cracking at the concrete cross section reduced by the area of the conduit within. Further, Nelson's GPR survey did not reveal in-slab diagonal reinforcing at reentrant corners.Preliminary Distress Evaluation Project Name: Mckinney Independent School District Stadium May 15, 2018 Nelson File No 20125 Page 4 ‘The observed pervasive presentation of cracking is consistent with the accumulation of tensile forces caused by restrained shrinkage. The tensile stresses that developed in the concrete due to shrinkage have exceeded the tensile capacity of the concrete. The joints in the concrete were constructed improperly and in direct conflict with the construction. documents and best industry practices, which resulted in the manifestation of the shrinkage cracking within the field of the concrete panels. Had the joints been properly constructed, the cracks would have occurred at the joint locations, which is expected behavior for concrete slabs-on-grade. An isolated portion of the cracks at the home side concourse flatwork may be attributable to in-slab conduits or similar as revealed during Nelson's GPR evaluation; however, additional testing is necessary to confirm these findings. The cracking at the home side concourse slab-on-grade is excessive and unsightly; however, does not presently compromise the strength of the slabs or otherwise pose a life safety concern. However, the cracks will allow water to migrate into the concrete cross section and influence corrosion of the reinforcing steel. The cracks within the fields of the flatwork planes will ravel, or widen, at their top surfaces, ultimately causing material loss and potential tripping hazards. Vehicular traffic from lifts and carts will accelerate these distress manifestations. The observed cracking poses both serviceability and durability concerns. The items observed and documented in this initial report are intended to be representative of the condition of the concrete slabs at the home side concourse level of the stadium. No attempt has been made to document the condition of each and every structural and nonstructural element. Only visible items were observed and documented. The opinions presented herein are based on site observations, field information and measurements taken, written and verbal information, and experience, where applicable. No complete review of this stadium's conformance to current building codes was performed. This report should not be construed as an assessment of total damages to the stadium at the time of site observation. In addition to the observed and documented items of distress, hidden defects may exist that were not readily visible. Also, some damaged areas may have been previously repaired and, unless otherwise noted, were not visible at the time of observation. However, these areas may experience future distress. No representation, guarantee, or warranty as to the future performance of this stadium is made, intended, or implied. In the event that additional information becomes available that could affect the conclusions reached in this preliminary investigation, Nelson reserves the right to review and change the opinions presented herein if required. This report has been prepared for exclusive use of the client and its representatives. No unauthorized re-use or reproduction of this report, in part or whole, shall be permitted without prior written consent.Preliminary Distress Evaluation Project Name: McKinney Independent School District Stadium May 15, 2018 Nelson File No.: 20125 Page 5 Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. With kindest regards, NELSON FORENSICS, LLC Texas Certificate of Registration F-17167 Pie Ryan T. Chancey, Ph.D., P.E. President Wes OAL MN ie /to Nelson: Report2-20125.doc.