Industry Case Study: Gilbert Water Treatment Plant
Challenge
Situation: Portions of the concrete slab had settled up to 2 inches. This did create a trip hazard at the slab joint, but the more serious issue was the stress it was putting on the pipe connections that were supported above this slab.
Challenges: The challenge was to find a cost-effective way to raise the slab back into position and stabilize the 5 pipe supports. Using helical piers to raise the slab and stabilize the pipe supports were considered but would have been too expensive. Another concern was the amount of infrastructure that was below the slab.
Solution
Solution: We installed helical piers at each of the 5 pipe locations to raise them back into position. Then we mud jacked the slab back into position by injecting grout into 61 locations in the slab. We core drilled the slab and used potholing to locate the underground infrastructure.
Conclusion: This solution was much more cost-effective than using piers to raise the pipe supports and the slab, saving the owner several thousand dollars. The pot-holing before drilling prevented additional costly repairs if an electrical line had been damaged during the installation of the piers. The owners and the contractor were both very pleased with the cost savings and the time savings. The end result was a successful job and another happy customer.
