The MAADI Group presentation was one of 56 papers being presented to an international audience of scientists, researchers, designers, and process and manufacturing technology professionals in the global aluminum industry, who shared their knowledge and experience during the two-day aluminum event, October 21-22. REGAL Student Day, the AluSolutions conference, aluminum-related seminars, plant visits and exhibition were among the week-long events that accompanied the Inalco 2013 Conference.
MakeABridge®: Modular Aluminum Pedestrian Bridge Design Explained
“With this presentation, we aimed to share our company’s MakeABridge® pedestrian bridge structural design development process with the international aluminum community,” said de la Chevrotière, “As part of our technical presentation, MAADI Group highlighted Design for Manufacturing, Aluminum Extrusions, the MakeABridge Design Concept, a case study on MakeABridge vs. a welded bridge, and various aluminum bridge projects that MAADI Group has designed and built. We are honored to present our body of structural design work to such a distinguished gathering of the aluminum industry.”
De la Chevrotière’s company co-hosted the Inalco Presenters Reception with the Aluminium Research and Development Centre of Québec (CQRDA) on Sunday, October 20, and served as a Moderator at Inalco, introducing Keynote Speakers Randy Kissell, P.E., of TGB Partnership, Professor Federico Mazzolani of University of Naples Federico II, and Leo Kok, Senior Engineering Specialist at Bombardier Aerospace.
MAADI Group’s Role in Organizing INALCO 2013
De la Chevrotière, a member of the Inalco 2013 Organizing Committee, worked behind the scenes with aluminum industry colleagues for the past three years to bring the Inalco 2013 Conference to Montreal. Beginning in Cleveland, Ohio in 1979, and held every three years, most recently in The Netherlands at Eindhoven University in 2010, the Inalco Conference promotes the advancement of technology and innovations in all aspects of the aluminum industry. Technical knowledge and experience is shared among participants with the goal of advancing the forming and fabricating processes, product design and development, and new and trending market applications that will determine the aluminum industry’s future direction and growth.
Impact of Aluminum’s Corrosion Resistance on Total Cost of Ownership
“As structural designers, my staff is committed to promoting aluminum as a superior material choice for many civil engineering applications. Its light weight, ease of fabrication, assembly and transport, fast installation, and sustainability by being corrosion-free, maintenance-free, and fully reusable and recyclable at the end of its life cycle make it a great option,” de la Chevrotière states, “MAADI Group uses the latest digital technologies to design MakeABridge and other aluminum pedestrian bridges for architectural, institutional, commercial, educational, recreational, and industrial applications. Our aluminum bridge structures enhance civil engineering projects of all types. With our MakeABridge modular pedestrian weld-free design, we set out to offer an aluminum footbridge that is strong, durable, maintenance-free, and cost efficient when Total Cost of Ownership is considered.”
The MAADI Group presentation touched upon the advantages of using aluminum vs. steel for their bridge design. “A recent Total Cost of Ownership study conducted by Deloitte Inc. compares bridge material overall costs of aluminum versus steel over time. Aluminum bridge structures eliminate the repeated expenses of galvanizing or painting steel due to rust. Aluminum is impervious to harsh climate conditions including ice, snow, frigid temperatures, salt, and chemicals. Unlike steel, after decades of use, aluminum is fully recyclable with very high scrap value, and retains its strength properties when reused,” said de la Chevrotière, “These benefits make our aluminum bridge structures an extremely cost-effective and viable alternative to steel.”
MAADI Group Acknowledges Key Partners Behind INALCO 2013 Success
De la Chevrotière notes, “MAADI Group thanks the Québec center of research and development of aluminum (CQRDA), based in the Saguenay region of Québec, and Professor Victor Songmene and ÉTS University for their dedicated work to make Inalco 2013 possible. We thank Mr. Randy Kissell of TGB Partnership for his work to bring Inalco 2013 to Montréal. MAADI Group is delighted that our colleagues in the aluminum industry were able to attend Inalco 2013 and experience our great City of Montréal and the Province of Québec, a vital aluminum corridor in North America.”
