In 2005, Adel ElSafty stood on the deck of his room at One Ocean in Atlantic Beach. He was captivated by the view and the fact that UNF had put him up there.

ElSafty was recruited to join the engineering faculty as the school sought to enhance its growing stature as a university with depth in the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction. He had just spent 2003 to 2005 as the founding member of FSU’s Civil Engineering department at its Panama City campus.

ElSafty earned his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University and has enjoyed additional post-doctorate training during his more than 30-year career as a licensed and registered professional engineer. Crowning achievements include becoming a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and Fulbright Specialist and being named “Educator of the Year” by the Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI).

He responded to my story about the building of the new pier in Jax Beach. His interest is in the fallen, failed prestressed pilings. During a stint in private industry, ElSafty also helped design the huge I-295 interchange on J. T. Butler Boulevard before he was even thinking about UNF.

He had read my story after an official at the DOT sent it to him. He has now contacted Hal Jones Contractor Inc., builders of the new pier, and they have agreed to cooperate when those pilings are recovered in a few months.

“Galvanic corrosion is caused by moisture seeping into the concrete until it reaches the metal rods. An actual electronic voltage is formed. The wetting and drying effect with chloride ions attacks and corrodes the steel in concrete, while CO² causes the ‘carbonation’ of concrete that also leads to steel corrosion,” said ElSafty, about how may failure occur in a concrete structure.

He explains that making a quality safe and strong concrete beam requires several steps. The actual mixture formula must be an exact blend of the ‘aggregate’ (pebbles)’, sand, cement, and water. A “plasticizer” is used to reduce the amount of water needed for workability after achieving the bond to the aggregates to ensure a solid structure.

For prestressed piles, the mold has lines of reinforcement bars stretched from end to end. “Prestressed” strands are then stretched out before the concrete is poured. After the concrete hardens, gaining in strength, the strands are cut. This subjects the concrete piles to compression.

Bars now come in different materials. Iron rods, carbon fiber strands and a new process that melts basalt rock at more than 2,000 degrees Celsius and draws it into the long rods.

To protect the concrete against CO-2, chlorides, and water egress protective coatings are used to waterproof the beams to help fight off the carbonation and acidic effect that can weaken the concrete.

For piers, he says there is an expected 50-year life and for bridges, 75-plus years is the standard. Failure can come from a lack of proper maintenance.

He explains that the old pier was too low.

“It is better to build the new pier deck and beams to be above the 50-year wave crest elevation to avoid wave forces," he said.

Forces come from the water that can push up the deck during storms, as well as movement from all directions (lateral, drag, and inertia forces from the surging waves. The chlorides in the air can even cause corrosion of the steel in the pilings.

ElSafty tells his students that the importance of their work is seen all around them.

“You drive over bridges, park in parking garages and walk over the elevated walkway, live in dorms with reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. All are made with concrete that must be made to proper standards,” he said, to remind them of the value of their work.

Of his tenure at UNF, he is very impressed by the congeniality and the inter-disciplinary cooperation of the entire staff and faculty there. He feels that they share a mutual desire to give their students the academic material and the real-life, hands-on experience that will help them blend into the real world with success.

One example is the Big Beam Competition national event. He has gotten his students involved with the project and they have placed high in the competition several times. Students at schools all over the country are invited to design a beam to exacting standards that will be tested using a giant rack structure with a powerful hydraulic jack that stresses the beam until failure occurs.

ElSafty found immediate strong support from Gate Precast, the Gate Company’s concrete construction division in Jacksonville. They cast the beam that UNF students designed for the national competition and have donated and delivered many beams for student use since their partnership was established.

His graduate and undergraduate students have enjoyed many hands-on learning experiences, thanks to the excellent cooperation of many local companies. He also says that UNF fosters an unusually high degree of interdepartmental cooperation and collaboration. They enjoy several working labs that greatly resemble real-world work situations.

"Dr. ElSafty is a good man and a wonderful professor," said Tom Newton, vice president of operations at Gate Precast. "I have had the opportunity to witness his interactions with students, and it is obvious to see he has a passion for teaching."

ElSafty’s palpable energy and incredible patience showed why he has been acknowledged as the UNF Distinguished Professor for 2018. He also has a national award from the PCI (Prestessed Construction Institute) as Educator of the Year.

He has earned $2.5 million in research funds and is quite proud of his Engineering Design Studio, which stresses hands-on learning and experimentation. He has traveled around the world giving lectures and visiting projects.

“This is the longest time I have stayed in one place,” he says with pride, a smile and a strong desire to continue with what he has done.

He is simply very happy at UNF. He admits to a large teaching load, but there are many perks. He has been able to travel the world extensively and is able to offer real-life working experiences to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Google Dr. Adel ElSafty and be amazed by what could not be included in this story. His generous cooperation was invaluable, as well as a mark of his commitment to sharing his time and knowledge with others.

Bill Longenecker is a Neptune Beach resident and regular contributor to Shorelines. Send feedback to shorelines@jacksonville.com.