BERTH 2 PILE STRENGTHENING WORKS, SHEERNESS DOCKS

To access the underside of the jetty, temporary access in the form of scaffolding was erected. In total 30no. piles were identified as needing strengthening, 6no piles in 5 separate bays. Initial works included cleaning the piles of all marine growth. Once each pile was cleaned, a full surface inspection was undertaken to identify any surface rust, and protruding welds, which were subsequently removed. In readiness for the installation of the prefabricated steel jackets, 4no. Shear keys were welded to the surface of each pile. Ultrasonic testing of the welds was then undertaken. Prior to the installation of the steel jackets, concrete patch repairs were completed to the underside of the deck. At each pile location, 6no. 22mm holes were drilled into the soffit of the jetty to anchor the steel jacket in position. A further 2no. 18mm holes were drilled to support manual lever chains which were used to lift the jacket into position. Each steel jacket was transported to the edge of the quay and lifted down to a support vessel, which was then used to transport the jacket to the required pile. Once the boat was in position, the manual lever fixing chains were secured to the soffit and the steel jacket. The steel jacket was then lifted in two halves and welded to the shear keys. Anchor bolts were then installed to fix the jacket to the soffit, and to secure the jacket around the steel pile. Further works included grouting of the annulus. This involved wrapping visqueen around the surface of the pile, prior to grouting of the annulus in 3no. separate pours.

The project involved progressing works within a live port environment, which included ongoing vessel movements. A traffic management plan was developed to maintain a safe working interface with various stakeholders across the site, ensuring the steel jackets could be transported from a remote storage area to the operational berth