Carbon Fibre Plates Humber Sea Terminal Solution

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Dec 8, 2003

The longest carbon fibre plates in the United Kingdom supplied by Sika Limited have just been fitted.

The 35 metre long Sika CarboDur carbon fibre plates are proving the ideal solution to strengthen the approach road to the new deep-water jetty being constructed at Humber Sea Terminal in Killingholme.

To accommodate the extra traffic that will be generated by the addition of a third and possibly fourth roll-on/roll-off berth, a spur is being added to the approach road, requiring strengthening to a length of the edge cantilever section of the existing approach ramp slab.

This is part of the 9.6 million pound, 40 week, design and build contract for Humber Sea Terminal Limited to construct a 240 metre long deep water jetty to accommodate the increasing demand being put onto the existing two berths that have proved extremely successful since opening three years ago.

The new spur road will have to carry 125-ton MAFI trailers, and various options for strengthening were considered by main contractors Edmund Nuttall Limited, including steel brackets, before deciding on the Sika CarboDur structural strengthening system.

This system was chosen for its ease of use, cost effectiveness and speed of application.

Working in consultation with consultant engineers Posford Haskoning, a design specification was produced in accordance with the Concrete Society technical notes, TR55, for guidance in strengthening concrete structures using fibre composite materials, and TR57, for the construction, supervision and monitoring of the work.

Following tests to ensure the integrity of the concrete structure, specialist contractors Concrete Repairs Ltd (CRL), requiring a small labour force, bonded five 35 metre long Sika CarboDur CFRP plates to the underside of the cantilever section where the new spur connects to the approach road.

Sika CarboDur is part of a structural strengthening system comprising of pultruded carbon fibre plates and SikaDur 30, a specially formulated two-part epoxy adhesive.

By using continuous plates with no lap joints, local stresses, and associated potential problems were eliminated.

The ease of use of the Sika CarboDur system made this possible.