Scope of Work
Wayne Brothers' Concrete, Geostructural Solutions, Engineering, and Millwright divisions executed a critical repair project inside an active steel mill, during a two-and-a-half-week shutdown window. The caster pit wall had shown signs of distress, prompting our Engineering team to perform an analysis to determine a stabilization approach. Our scope included installing micropiles to transfer lateral surcharge loads from the overhead crane away from the wall, and demolishing and repairing distressed sections by putting in new formwork and concrete. Deterioration was most severe near the top of the wall, so those sections received the most extensive repair. Crews also cored nine holes into the face of the wall to prepare for phase two of the project, which will add soil nails to further increase the wall's stability. Between phase 1 and 2 of the project, our Engineering team will regularly monitor the wall by scanning it to ensure there is no further movement. To open access for the repair work, the Millwright team relocated the facility's peeler bar, then reset it to its original position once the scope was complete.
Unique Challenges
The shutdown window left no room for delay, so thorough pre-planning and close coordination across all scopes was essential to keep the fast-paced schedule on track. Which included crews working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the full duration of the shutdown. Tight working conditions ruled out standard equipment access, so the drill rig was flown to the work area by a crane.
