of 133 metres, increases the outdoor storage space at the pier
from 3,000 square metres to 12,000 m2.
These improvements enable the port to better support the
development of the regions it serves. Port of Trois-Rivières
is an important economic development tool for several
regions of Québec and supports many regional companies
in the shipping of their products and in the supply of their
raw materials.
In order to accelerate the process, the Port decided to
tender the project seeking design-build solutions. Nucor
Skyline was able to offer design assistance and proposed vari-ous
options to interested bidders.
Hamel Construction of Québec City was awarded the con-tract
for the multimillion-dollar project.
Conditions at the site, including soft soils on the bottom
of the Saint Lawrence River, favoured the use of a king pile
wall, anchored with tie rods to a buried sheet pile wall. The
HZ-M king pile wall was the most cost-effective system for
this pier extension. The design allowed water depths of 12 m
and a final retained height of 17 m from the top of the wall to
the river bed.
Combined wall systems, utilizing king piles and pairs of
intermediary piles, are often used in marine applications
where they provide increased capacity compared to regular
sheet pile walls. The Nucor Skyline HZ-M system is fully inter-locking
and is composed of heavy king H-piles with sheet pile
connectors attached to the flanges to permit the threading of
intermediate sheet piles. The intermediary sheet piles trans-fer
the soil and water pressures to the king piles, which carry
most of the load. The king piles are the primary element in
combined wall systems and are usually 25-60 per cent longer
than the intermediary piles. This allows for increased axial
capacity of the system.
To optimize the final design solution, Nucor Skyline sug-gested
a higher grade – S430GP steel (430 MPa) – for this
project. Nucor Skyline also provided cold formed sheet
piling for the anchor wall and a tie rod system composed of
threaded bars with couplers to facilitate installed lengths of
35 m. Each of the 80 king piles were tied above water level
with an articulated system. The bars were spaced at 1.9 m
and connected directly to the king piles. With one tie rod per
beam there was no need for a waler system on the main wall,
only the anchor wall.
The construction of this project began in early June 2017,
with the contractor preparing the site by demolishing the aging
Pier 9 and excavating as needed. This phase was immediately
followed by the installation of the stone embankment along
the river. In mid-July 2017, driving began for the combined wall
system, with 11 to 15 metric ton king piles driven 18 m deep by
a vibratory hammer. The king piles ranged in length from 28.65
m to 33 m. The intermediary sheet piles, ranging from 18 m to
22 m, were then driven eight metres through the soft soils of
the riverbed. Ocean vessel delivery ensured the supply of long
lengths in one piece directly to the Port of Trois-Rivières.
The new wharf section is now in full operation and pro-vides
year-round service via the seaway.
For more information, please visit: nucorskyline.com.
GREAT CANADIAN PROJECTS
One of the largest ports in Québec
and Eastern Canada, the port handles
approximately 55,000 trucks, 11,000
freight cars and 240 ships per year.
50 Q1 2019 www.pilingcanada.ca
/nucorskyline.com
/www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.arntzenpipe.com
