Ames Research Center

Silicon Valley is the home of NASA’s Ames Research Center, one of ten NASA field centers. NASA’s Ames Center has been at the forefront of world-class aeronautics, exploration technology, and scientific research since 1939, and Salas O’Brien has provided structural engineering services for them since 2008.

Our structural engineering projects include pedestrian access platforms, cooling tower installations, chiller replacements, and sensitive equipment anchorages. Our most recent project involved structural design for their wind tunnel complex, which houses the world’s largest wind tunnel—over 1,400 feet long and 180 feet high. We provided seismic load analysis and design of a high-pressure electric air heater base frame. Following NASA Ames Pressure System Safety requirements, the unique design uses ASCE 7 criteria of an I=1.5 importance factor. The project also uses CAESAR II pipe stress analysis software to determine gravity loads, temperature stresses, and seismic response spectrums.