FEATURE
the 1965 success of the RT3 on a
massive scale.
Wherever, whenever and however
Soilmec equipment has been at the
forefront of a number of geotechnical
construction projects around the
globe, proving the multifunctionality
and adaptability of its broad range
of products.
New challenges for
piling technology
When completed in 1951, the Wolf
Creek Dam stretched 5,736 feet across
the Cumberland River in south-central
Kentucky in the U.S., providing
hydropower, flood control and a clean
water supply. Since 1970, the dam had
serious reservoir seepage problems
and in January 2007, it was declared at
high risk for failure. Something had to
be done – and fast.
Two world leaders in foundation
technology, Treviicos and Soletanche
JV joined forces to construct a new
barrier wall as part of the $594 million
remediation of the part concrete-gravity
and earth-fill dam.
“At the time, this was the most complex
foundation project in the world,
doing what had never been done before
in terms of technology and sequence
of work,” said Fabio Santillan, project
manager at Treviicos.
Beneath the 3,900-foot earthen
embankment, the Karst geology of
the rock foundation was seeping and
deteriorating. A new barrier wall was
to be built upstream – 4,200 feet in
length and reaching a depth of about
277 feet using three different piling
techniques. The poor condition of the
foundation and the complexity of the
piling system meant the team had a
limited use of equipment, needed to
keep drilling excavations 90 feet apart
and build a concrete wall to protect the
embankment throughout construction
of the main barrier wall.
Several technologies were utilized
to install this new barrier wall, some
developed by the Trevi Group specifically
for the project, such as directional drilling
to guide the secant piles installed with
reverse circulation drilling and elevating
the quality of the project to new levels.
As stated on the Treviicos website,
“Most of the barrier wall was installed
with 1,197 secant piles, creating
1,196 joints totalling about 280,000
linear feet. Overall statistics showed
the average wall thickness was 3.2
feet. For the combined barrier wall
sections, built with a combination of
piles and hydromill-excavated panels,
measurement statistics showed an
average thickness of 2.6 feet. These
extraordinary results were due to the
techniques pioneered on this job for
installing, steering and measuring in
real time the location of wall elements.”
In March 2013 the construction
of the barrier wall was completed; a
$420 million contract that finished
approximately nine months ahead of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 44.
Today more than 800 Soilmec rigs around the world are fitted with their
own “artificial intelligence” systems to constantly communicate with the
operator in the cab.
42 Q2 2019 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
