The problem
170 pillars, no room for disruption
At this industrial port in Sweden, the scale of the problem was significant. Close to 170 concrete pillars required reinforcement, and the work had to be done without removing or replacing the existing columns. Removal was not a viable option given the live operational demands of the port and the cost and disruption that full replacement would involve.
The solution needed to be permanent. A repair that would require revisiting in five or ten years was not acceptable in this environment.
The method
Encase, seal, pump dry, fill
The approach was to encase each pillar in a purpose-made cylinder of stainless steel sheet metal, fabricated with an integrated locking mechanism so it could be secured tightly around the existing structure. The bottom of each cylinder was sealed to prevent ingress from below. Once the cylinder was in position and locked, the water trapped inside was pumped out, creating a dry working environment within the encasement. The void was then filled with new concrete, bonding with the existing pillar and restoring full structural capacity.
Stainless steel was specified deliberately. In a marine environment where corrosion is the very problem being solved, the encasement material has to outlast the repair itself. The result is a reinforced pillar system built to perform for decades without the cycle of patch-and-repeat that shorter-term solutions would require.
The outcome
One of the more demanding rehabilitation programmes
With close to 170 pillars completed, the project represents one of the more demanding concrete rehabilitation programmes undertaken at a working industrial port.
Concrete pillars reinforced across the pier structure.
Columns removed or replaced -- all work done in place.
Encasement material -- specified to outlast the repair in a marine environment.
All work completed without disrupting ongoing port operations.