33
CONSTRUCTION EUROPE
SEPTEMBER 2014
FOUNDATIONS
Contractor Balfour Beatty selected the TriAx
products for the 34-turbine site, for a safe,
mechanically-stabilised access road solution.
The TriAx system provides a geogrid that sits
directly on to the subgrade to interlock with
and confine the granular fill material, allowing
the use of a much thinner section of aggregate
for access road construction.
Colin Thompson, wind farm manager
(UK) at Tensar International, said, “Working
on a project of this scale wasn’t without
its challenges, but Tensar’s two decades of
providing ground stabilisation for wind farm
sites proved to be invaluable. Having worked
with Balfour Beatty in the past we were
more than confident that the build would be
efficient and environmentally sound.”
PASSIVHAUS
In Scotland, Propump Engineering has been
busy laying the foundations for the Passivhaus
Macro Micro studio at Dundee University.
Using foamed concrete, Propump provided
a thermally-efficient foundation and ground
slab to the UK’s first off-grid building powered
entirely by renewable energy, designed by the
University of Dundee’s Macro Micro Studio.
For the building’s raft foundation, Propump
designed a foamed concrete to have a balance
of both structural strength and thermal
insulation qualities – reducing material usage
and groundwork costs. Construction time was
also reduced, as the complete foundation and
ground slab was placed in two four-hour shifts.
Self-compacting, foamed concrete also seals
around the building services, preventing heat
escape and rodent entry.
“We are delighted to be involved in what, for
many, is the future of construction,” said Trevor
Ansell, director of Propump Engineering. “We
supplied a 600kg/m
3
wet density foamed
concrete, which was pumped into a 1m deep
slab to insulate the dwelling and help maintain
a constant temperature all year round.”
The foamed concrete technology also
allowed for the foundations to incorporate
a void for a battery box to store electricity
from the roof top photovoltaic system. The
foamed concrete was then topped with thin
self-levelling cement screed, to give the final
exposed floor finish.
Once the foamed concrete foundation was
in place, a soleplate was fixed to provide a
level base onto which the timber wall panels
could be installed. The foamed concrete’s
highly liquid nature meant the soleplate could
be accurately fixed directly to the formwork
and the slab then cast around it.
The next generation of foundations
technologylookssettoofferstrengthcombined
with insulation and energy efficiency. Likewise,
fuel economy and emission reductions will
continue to play a central role in equipment
development.
ce
Trimble’s 3D control system ensures
accurate positioning and automated
reporting
Soilmec’s SR-45 drilling rig has bottom
feed system technology for drilling in
areas that are seismically active or have
unstable ground conditions
Making a Global Impact
RIC (Rapid Impact Compaction)
BSP RIC is a dynamic compaction technique
that impacts the ground at a rate of 40 to 60
times per minute using 5, 7, 9, 12 or 16t
dropweights. Ideal for low cost foundations
in granular soils.
Hydraulic Piling Hammers, Excavator/
Rig Mounted or Crane Suspended
An economical and versatile solution for
installing all types of Steel or Concrete piles
either for Civils or the Rail environment.
Impact energy maximums from 20 KNm.
Ram weights from 1.5 tons.
BSP INTERNATIONAL
FOUNDATIONS LTD
Claydon Business Park,
Gt Blakenham, Ipswich
Suffolk, UK, IP6 0NL
Tel: +44 (0) 1473 830431
Fax: +44 (0) 1473 832019
email:
Wilsonville, Oregon USA
Tel +1 (503) 682-1001
Judenburg, Austria
Tel +43 3572-86300
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ExpoMina Peru 2014
Stand# B-174
X Colombia Minera
Stand# 264
