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When the new Miller Park baseball stadium, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, opened in April 2001, the ballpark's most distinctive feature was
its fan-shaped, convertible roof. Shortly after opening, however, the pivot bearings began to exhibit signs of varied performance. Loud grinding noises
and vibrations emitted from the bearings during opening and closing operations. After a detailed investigation and analysis of the roof structure,
pivot bearings and bogies, replacement of the roof's pivot bearings was recommended. Thornton Tomasetti, together with Hardesty & Hanover, was retained
by the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District to design the repair and oversee its implementation.
Thornton Tomasetti's role included investigating the roof's performance prior to and during the complex replacement process, designing new steel
platforms for construction access, designing support brackets and structural reinforcement required for lifting the 12,000-ton roof, and developing
a lifting protocol. The bearing replacement project was completed ahead of schedule and within budget despite the challenges of tight work spaces,
severe time constraints and winter weather conditions.
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