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Technical Service Center
Materials Engineering and Research Lab

MERL Staff & Technical Specialties

Bill Kepler, Group Manager of the Materials Engineering and Research Laboratory (86-68180), has been working in the Materials Lab since 1987. He earned his Ph. D. from the University of Colorado in 1999 and is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado and Wyoming.  Dr. Kepler has extensive experience in concrete materials and construction.

The Materials Engineering and Research Laboratory has experts in the construction materials fields including: concrete and aggregates, roller-compacted concrete (RCC), concrete repair, cementitious and chemical grout, corrosion, coatings technology, geosynthetics, instrumentation, structural modeling and testing, and materials testing. Our staff belongs to various technical societies including ASTM, ACI, NACE, and SSPC. MERL continues to develop partnerships with various government and private entities .

Specialties

• Aggregate Evaluation
• Coatings Technology
• Concrete Repair
  • Cementitious and Chemical Grout
  • Concrete Technology
  • Reinforced Concrete Pipe Evaluation
• Corrosion Technology
• Database Applications
• Construction Support
• Nondestructive Testing
• Petrography

Staff

Concrete Technology Staff

The Concrete Technology Staff provides technical expertise on concrete and related materials. Experts develop and conduct testing for the evaluation of water resources structures. Staff members provide technical advice and guidance on numerous concrete related subjects, including quality evaluation of concrete materials, construction, condition assessment and repair.

Expertise

Group members develop and maintain standards and programs for:

• internal QA/QC and laboratory accreditation;
• procurement, maintenance, calibration, and modification of test facilities
• coordinate, schedule, track, document, and report laboratory testing.

The services provided by this staff include:

• Providing technical advice on concrete, aggregates, cement, and chemical and mineral admixtures, concrete construction methods, and concrete testing procedures.
• Evaluating and selecting concrete and concrete materials for the protection and improvement of the durability and serviceability of facilities -including materials selection, acceptance testing, mixture proportioning, quality control, concrete construction, failure analysis, preparation and review of national technical standards.
• Performing concrete testing, including nondestructive methods, aggregate quality testing, cement and concrete testing, and special materials testing; providing concrete technology training; supplying project laboratories with testing, inspection and calibration services; and assisting with procurement of unique testing equipment.
• Evaluating new and conventional concrete materials and construction practices for compliance with Reclamation standards, to develop more economical construction methods, to increase service life, and to lower maintenance costs.
• Application of concrete technology to assure the integrity and safety of concrete structures, and to improve the serviceability and protection of the infrastructure - including development and application of new technology, development and preparation of specifications, construction methods, field and laboratory inspection and testing, quality control, training, troubleshooting, and liaison with design and construction engineers to assure that concrete structures conform to existing and/or new national technical standards.

Plastics and Geosynthetics Specialties

Plastics Technology

The Plastics Technology (geosynthetics/polymeric materials) Staff provides technical advice on polymeric construction materials, including geosynthetics (geomembranes, geotextiles, geogrids, and geocomposites), sealants, waterstops, roofing, rubber gaskets, and plastic pipe. Experts in the section evaluate new and conventional geosynthetics/polymeric materials to develop more economical construction methods, to lower maintenance costs, to improve repair and design approaches and to provide for seepage, erosion and pollution control. Some of the services provided are:

• Technical and troubleshooting expertise on geosynthetic/polymeric materials, including preparing inspection procedures for control of contractor and fabricator operations
• Testing for field quality control, reviewing geosynthetic/polymeric material submittals, and preparing, revising, and updating geosynthetic/polymeric materials' specifications and guides for use by operation, maintenance and construction personnel.
• Directing quality control testing for Reclamation acceptance of new or modified plastic, elastomeric, asphaltic, and petrochemical materials submitted by contractors including complex or unusual samples and analysis required in unique situations.
• Conducting applied research to evaluate new, improved, or conventional materials and methods for more economical construction, less frequent maintenance, and new repair or design approaches.
• Providing environmentally safe applications for use in aquatic and wildlife habitat enhancement and their contemporary uses.
• Provide technical and troubleshooting expertise for the proper use of geosynthetic/polymeric materials

Staff members have produced numerous Publications documenting results of technical studies on new, improved, or conventional geosynthetic/polymeric materials and methods for more economical construction, less frequent maintenance, and new repair or design approaches.

Contact Jay Swihart

Electronics / Instrumentation Specialties

• Long-term Instrumentation
• Continuous Monitoring
• Radial Gate Monitoring
• Nondestructive Testing of Structures

Full Scale Structural and Similitude Modeling

• Earthquake Modeling
• Vibratory Testing
• Large Scale Testing
• Large Scale Geotechnical Testing