Khan and Puyana Contribute to Right of Way Magazine Posted on Jul 20, 2021

The July/August issue of Right of Way Magazine includes an article by FDH’s Rakesh Khan, PE, and Manuel Puyana, on “Evaluating Access Mat Performance: New Quantitative Solutions.”

Published by the International Right of Way Association (IRWA), the bimonthly magazine features noteworthy industry news of interest to right-of-way professionals.

Khan, director of technology solutions, and Puyana, product manager, co-authored the article to inform IRWA’s membership on new methods for quickly and reliably predicting access mat performance at temporary work sites in project rights of way, particularly for environmentally sensitive areas, such as wetlands and low-lying marshlands.

The article discusses the recent collaboration of public/private industry experts to develop a new quantitative tool to calculate access mat behavior for various soil conditions and equipment loads. In addition, the article describes FDH’s Matting iQ™ solution, which evaluates in a single run the performance of up to ten mat solutions across an entire access road that might include dozens, or hundreds, of points and soil conditions.

Khan and Puyana also introduce the newly organized North American Matting Association (NAMA), comprising major manufacturers, suppliers, engineers and buyers focused on access mat solutions. Khan is a member of NAMA’s technical committee.

Formed in late 2019, NAMA has set its sights on driving the industry forward through education and advocacy. NAMA is working to standardize and educate the access matting industry, from linear construction to metropolitan heavy lift platforms, with a focus on safety, environment and economics.

To view the article, please visit the IRWA magazine library.

For more information on FDH’s Matting iQ™ solution, please visit the FDH website or email mattingiq@fdh-is.com.

About the Authors

Rakesh A. Khan, PE, CWI, is director of technology solutions for FDH Infrastructure Services, where he leads the development of innovative engineering solutions that enhance operations for clients in critical infrastructure markets, including power, telecommunications, and government. Khan is a member of the structural health monitoring, service life and nondestructive testing committees of the American Concrete Institute, the testing and evaluation committee of the Deep Foundations Institute and the technical committee of the North American Matting Association.

Manuel Puyana, MSCE, MBA, is a civil engineer and product manager for FDH Infrastructure Services. He oversees the development and implementation of software products that assess the condition of critical infrastructure, including Matting iQ™ and Foundations iQ™. Puyana is a certified ScrumMaster and highly experienced in solutions architecture, which integrates software and hardware systems.