After Hurricane Ike, we were retained to evaluate damage to a galvanizing plant that was damaged by the hurricane. The building consisted of a structural steel frame, with metal wall panels, fiberglass roof panels, and structural steel X-bracing. There was obvious damage to some of the cladding, including panel elements that were completely missing. Additional observed damage included portions of the wall cladding and lateral bracing systems that had buckled. Although the Z-purlins were typically not damaged by the hurricane, they had corroded so much from the acids used in the galvanizing that portions of the building were unrepairable without replacing many of the Z-purlins.
