Triangle Electric works at NASA facility on Constellation Program

Triangle Electric works at NASA
facility on Constellation Program
Since October of 2007 Triangle Electric
workers have been stationed in Sandusky,
Ohio on the Vibro-Acoustic Test Capability or VTC Project at the NASA Plum
Brook Station. They have been working
on NASA’s Constellation Program which
will send human explorers back to the
moon, and then onward to Mars and other
destinations in the solar system. Triangle
will be completing the electrical contract
working with Prime General Contractor
Benham Constructors LLC. It includes
the installation of
two large test facilities that will support
development of the
Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV).
Orion vehicles will
carry astronauts to the
International Space
Station and back to
the moon in the next
decade. Triangle has
been onsite since the
beginning of this project working with
Benham Constructors LLC and NASA
engineering supporting the design aspects
of this challenging endeavor.
Volume 1. Issue 1
November
Vol.
12 No.2009
1
Fall 2009
The Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility
(RATF) is a 30’ wide X 30’deep X 60’
tall acoustic chamber capable of obtaining 167 decibels. When completed it
will be one of the largest Reverberant
Acoustic Test Facilities ever built. The
Mechanical Vibration Facility (MVF) is
a hydraulically driven vibration table.
When complete this table will be capable
of testing specified NASA space articles
to strict vibration tolerances. The test
chamber and vibration table are being
installed in NASA’s existing Space Power
Facility (SPF), at their Plum Brook Station, which is operated by NASA’s Glenn
Research Center, in Cleveland, Ohio. The
SPF facility houses the world’s largest
space environment simulation chamber
and will serve as the primary location for
Integrated Environmental Testing (IET)
of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle
(CEV) Ground Test Article and Qualification Vehicle.
Under the direction of Project Manager,
Mark Combe, Triangle currently has
six employees onsite at NASA. Design
NASA’s
Plum Brook
Station,
Sandusky,
Ohio
Project Engineering is being supported by
Nick Aravas out of the Madison Heights,
Michigan office. Field Engineering,
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
is being handled by Randy Harris. Field
Supervision onsite includes Ron Martin
and Angelo Bordogna. Electricians locally
are being obtained thru IBEW Local 129
out of Lorain, Ohio.
Continued on page 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
• Employees Bill Miller &
Steve Strauch..............2
• Back at Zug Island.......3
• Mentoring Program....4
NASA continued from page 1
Six inch
conduits
for the
MVF High
Speed Data
Aquisition
System
The project includes installation of one
4160/480-volts, 3000-kva substation,
new nitrogen delivery system, RATF
Chamber and MVF Pit HVAC/Exhaust
systems, new fire alarm system, Ten
200-HP hydraulic pumps, new hydraulic
building, UPS backup power systems,
new High Speed Data Acquisition
System (HSDAS) control room, analog
abort test wiring, upgrade of the SPF
Eight inch conduits in
MVF pit for NASA/
Lockheed-Martin test cabling.
main control room for the VTC project,
power, lighting and data for new areas
and/or chambers, fiber optic back bone
wiring for control systems, intercoms and
Oxygen Detection/Monitoring systems.
The expected completion date is December of 2010 with an anticipated crew size
of 15 to 20 people by midsummer next
year. Once the testing chambers are successfully completed, NASA plans to test
Orion hardware to meet specified performance requirements in simulated conditions, such as those experienced during
launch, in orbit and during re-entry. Thermal, acoustic, mechanical vibration and
electromagnetic compatibility testing will
be conducted as part of the Orion qualification process. The new test chambers will
support NASA’s Constellation Program
testing and other future projects.
Triangle’s team is experienced and committed
Bill Miller
Triangle Electric is proud to announce the promotion of Bill Miller to General Superintendent.
For years Miller has worked at Triangle Electric
including two years of his four
year apprenticeship. Starting as a
Journeyman in 1990 he quickly
worked his way up and was most
recently stationed at Severstal Steel
in Dearborn as General Foreman.
In his new position he will eventually move to the Madison Heights
headquarters office.
“I will be responsible for all manpower at all sites
and will act as a liaison between IBEW Local 58
and Triangle Electric,” said Miller. With almost 20
years with Triangle Electric Company, Miller has
become quite in-tune with the construction sites
and the staff. He resides in Highland with his wife,
Nancy, his three daughters and his hot rods.
Steve Strauch
Since August Steve Strauch has been
back home at Triangle Electric Company. “I’m so glad to be back,” said
Steve Strauch, who returns to Triangle
Electric after nine years. “This company is truly a great company to work
for and I’m proud to be back.”
Strauch began with Triangle in the
1990s working as a journeyman, then an estimator and a
project manager. From 1998 to 2000 he was stationed at Rouge
Steel responsible for the new substation distribution work for
the complex. “Those were some of the best times for me at
Triangle.”
Since returning to Triangle, Strauch has been responsible for
project estimating of new work. “I can see the horizon again
for our industry. New projects are starting to evolve and Triangle will stay more diversified now than in the past. Strauch
now brings 22 years of experience in the electrical contracting
business to his new position. Strauch resides in Livonia with
his wife Sharon and two children.
Triangle is back at Zug Island once again
Things are heating up again for steel
companies taking Triangle Electric back to
River Rouge and Zug Island once again.
Great Lakes Works
US Steel Corporation’s Great Lakes Works
in Ecorse has Triangle Electric working
on a D4 Blast Furnace hearth replacement
and thermo couple installation. Close to 20
Triangle Electric workers will be handling
the replacement and installation. They will
also provide temporary power and lighting
for the construction site and perform
Basic Oxygen
Furnace seen on
Zug Island
maintenance on the furnace.
Severstal
At Severstal, in Dearborn, Triangle Electric
will be installing a Basic Oxygen Furnace
Heat Trace and Fire Alarm System. This small job
will need approximately four Triangle workers to
install the fire protection system. Heat trace cable
will need to be installed along pipes so the pipes
will not freeze. Wiring to flow switches will allow
the system to react and stop a fire.
Severstal acquired Rouge Steel in 2004
and continues to be a valued supplier to the
automotive industry producing high quality flat
rolled carbon steel products. This facility is also
Severstal North America’s headquarters.
Praxair
Down the road in Ecorse at Praxair, Triangle
Electric workers will work on Phase I of a
Nitrogen upgrade. As part of Phase I of this
Civil Project, Triangle workers will be installing
underground conduit. Bidding of the other phases
of this project is already under way. Praxair is the
largest industrial gases company in North and
South America. The company produces, sells and
distributes atmospheric, process and specialty
gases, and high-performance surface coatings.
Typical Blast Furnace seen on Zug Island
Triangle continues Mentoring Program with
Liberty Electrical Services
Since 2007 Triangle Electric has been working with Liberty
Electrical Services as part of a Mentoring Program to allow
Liberty Electrical the chance to work on larger and more
extensive projects with the support of Triangle Electric
Company. Bringing a minority electrical contractor to partner
with Triangle has been a win-win situation for both companies.
The Mentoring Program has been designed to eliminate any risk
for subcontractors such as Liberty. The program also allows the
partners to operate each business separately while being part of a
bigger plan. The team leaders include Jimmi Smith, president of
Liberty Electrical and Nick Aravas, vice president of engineering
for Triangle Electric. This team approach provides Liberty with
hands-on experience from start to finish of projects including
estimating, contracts, project management, design/build, plan
reviews and submittals, purchasing, change orders, close outs,
and customer services.
According to Jimmi Smith, president of Liberty Electrical
Services, more and more companies are joining forces.
“Having this relationship with Triangle is great for both of our
businesses. Plus working with the staff at Triangle has always
been rewarding. I truly feel I have good friends at Triangle,” said
Smith.
Smith began with Triangle Electric years ago training in project
estimating. Under the wing of Roy Martin Sr. he was given
the opportunity to work out of the Detroit office. He left the
company, took some business classes and graduated an Electrical
Engineer from Lawrence Technological University. Once in
business for himself as Liberty Electric, Smith came back to
Triangle committing to this mentoring program. According to
Smith, “The Mentoring Program allows a certain amount of
The Connector
Vol. 12 No. 1 Fall 2009
Triangle Electric Company
29787 Stephenson Highway
Madison Heights, MI 48071
(248) 399-2200
www.trielec.com
Nick Aravas, Vice President of engineering and Jimmi Smith of Liberty
Elecric al Services enjoy working together
protection. We have developed a family relationship. We have a
deep trust for each other and work easily together.”
Over the years Triangle and Liberty have worked on several
projects including automotive projects at Ford, GM and
Chrysler, the IRS Computing Services, MGM Casino and
Dearborn Stamping. Currently, Triangle is at DTE working
with Liberty and has been invited by Dumas Construction to
participate in the new Shops at Gateway project at Woodward
and 8 Mile Rd. The Mentoring Program will give Triangle the
opportunity to bid on more projects, diversifying the work. “It’s
an exciting time,” said Nick Aravas. “We both bring established
relationships with developers and general contractors and in turn
we will both benefit with more work.”