July 2026: Improved Liftoff Testing Techniques for Post-Tensioned Anchors Webinar

Includes a Live Web Event on 07/16/2026 at 10:00 AM (MDT)

This webinar explores advanced approaches to verifying load retention in post-tensioned anchors used in dam applications, where long-term structural stability and dam safety depend on reliable anchor performance over design lives that often exceed 100 years. Participants will gain insight into the importance of load verification throughout the service life of post-tensioned systems and the limitations of conventional liftoff testing methods that rely on rapid, subjective operator observations.

The session will highlight a refined single-strand liftoff testing approach implemented at Bluestone Dam that incorporates a data acquisition system to continuously record applied load and wedge displacement during testing. Attendees will learn how this enhanced methodology improves accuracy, captures detailed tendon behavior, and helps identify relatively small load losses that may otherwise go undetected using traditional procedures.

Real-world testing results, lessons learned, and further refinements to the process will also be presented, providing valuable guidance for dam owners, engineers, and maintenance professionals responsible for evaluating the long-term performance and safety of post-tensioned anchor systems.

Bryan Bledsoe

Civil/Structural Engineer (CELRH-MXE

USACE

Mr. Bledsoe is a Senior Structural Engineer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dam Safety Production Center in Huntington, WV. He currently serves as the Technical Lead Engineer responsible for ensuring that technical elements of the Bluestone Dam megaproject are constructed to achieve the planned risk reduction. His experience with USACE has covered inspection, design, and support to construction of flood risk management and navigation dams. He has depth of experience in analysis, design, and construction of mass and reinforced concrete structures as well as significant experience with the design, testing, and installation of post-tensioned anchors. He also provides structural engineering expertise to the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs mission to support scientific research in the extreme environments of Antarctica.

Mr. Bledsoe is the co-chair of the Anchoring and Tension Micropile Committee, a joint committee of the USACE Structural Community of Practice (CoP) and Geology, Geotechnical, and Materials CoP. The geologists, geotechnical engineers, and structural engineers of the committee aim to develop and maintain a body of knowledge and develop best practices and guidance for anchors and tension micropiles. He also participates in the Post-tensioning Institutes DC-35 committee for rock and soil anchors and the ASTM A01 and C01 standards committees for steel and concrete, respectively.