Case Studies
Belfast Steel-fibre-reinforced pile-supported car park
 Belfast
steel-fibre-reinforced pile-supported car park
['Concrete', June 2002]
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| Pile supported slab |
External pile supported service
yard |
New Quay Developments was appointed main contractor for
the construction if a new Lidl store in Dundonald, Belfast,
a development of 1,200m2 of retail space with
4,800m2 heavy goods access roads and car parking.
Geotechnical site investigations revealed a peat layer
beneath the site, which presented long-term settlement
problems. In view of this, Armstrong & Taylor, the
design and build engineer, adopted a piled solution to
support both the superstructure and the internal floor slab,
fulfilling the client's design brief.
Since it was neither economical nor practical to remove
and replace the peat to alleviate excessive settlement in
the external areas, a pile-supported base slab was chosen,
overlaid with a traditional flexible road construction.
Key elements in the design included:
- pile size and centres
- heavy-goods vehicle loading in external areas
- traditional flexible road construction on external
slab
- ability to withstand an imposed load on the ground
floor of 100kN/m2
- position of formed day contraction joints
- no requirement for fibre suppressants and
specialised finishing techniques
Rolls Royce
Rolls Royce special feature in 'Concrete',
July/August 2003 [RR1.PDF] [RR2.PDF]
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| Completed section of floor slab |
Automated dry share spreader |
When Rolls Royce decided to relocate its aero-engine
production facility to Inchinnan, west of Glasgow, all the
tendering parties were fully aware of the scale, complexity
and quick response required for a project of this type.
The AMEC group was appointed as design and build
contractor for a 50,000m2 factory, designed
according to the requirements of Rolls-Royce. Due to
the scale and complexity of the project, a procurement
process based on partnering and supply chain management was
chosen for selection of the specialist flooring contractor.
AMEC appointed A J Clark Concrete Flooring as the design and
build specialist flooring installer.
Key elements in the design included:
- the ability to withstand facility loadings
- specifications for ground conditions after
remediation
- pile size and centres
- incorporation of machine bases and pits into the
joint arrangement
- position of formed day contraction joints
Scottish Courage
Scottish Courage /
Rolls Royce feature in 'Concrete', March 2004
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| Entrance area |
Full plinth detail |
Roadway |
Client AWG appointed A J Clark Concrete Flooring as
specialist contractor for replacement of the despatch area
at Scottish Courage's main distribution depot near
Livingston, West Lothian. This two phase contract
involved removing and replacing 30,000m2 of
external concrete hardstanding which could not withstand
warehouse trafficking.
Removal and Preparation
The existing 180mm thick concrete slab incorporated
conventional reinforcement. This was broken out and
crushed prior to removal for use as aggregate at another
local site. The sub-base was also replaced prior to
casting new slabs.
Concrete Requirements
The client needed reassurance that the replacement slab
would not suffer similar failure. Great care was thus
taken to achieve the required concrete quality and optimal
placing conditions. Tubular steel frame covers were
purchased specifically for the operation to avoid weather
damage to the surface during casting of the new slab.
This was installed using long-strip techniques with
timber framework, square dowels and B785 reinforcing fabric
mesh. An FND2 foundation concrete mix was used and
levelled using a bunion striker tube, after which a brush
finish was applied.
Benefits
This case study serves to demonstrate how difficult
ground and weather conditions were overcome to produce
floors that will be durable over a very long period.
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