North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Dueling Dinosaurs Exhibit

The Dueling Dinosaurs exhibit at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC will forever change how we view the world’s two favorite dinosaurs – the tyrannosaur and the Triceratops. The exhibit houses some of the most complete skeletons ever discovered in the world and includes a lab where paleontologists uncover the dinosaurs that lie beneath.

We were retained by the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources to provide construction materials testing and special inspections for the project. Our services included construction observation and special inspections of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite system applied to the beams of the first-floor framing. The purpose of the composite system is to strengthen the concrete beams. The strengthened beams, combined with additional structural steel framing is necessary to support the weight of the Dueling Dinosaur Laboratory Exhibit. As construction progressed, our scope of services included the evaluation of foundation bearing grades, the placement of concrete reinforcing steel, sampling and testing fresh concrete, and non-destructive testing of bolted and welded connections of the structural steel framing