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Machine Bases - Northern Construction Solutions Limited
NSK Peterlee - Machine Bases
| Project | : | Removal and construction of reinforced machine bases |
| Client | : | Able Construction (Northern) Ltd |
| Value | : | £35,000 |
| Duration | : | 2 weeks |
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The contract involved the construction of two reinforced concrete machine bases, the largest being 14m by 7m by 0.6m deep, within a live factory environment. The existing floor slab had to be removed to enable the deep bases to be constructed, but removal of the concrete in the usual way by heavy duty breakers was not an option due to the interference it would cause to the operational machinery in the vicinity.
A scheme was devised which eliminated any breaking out and utilised large specialised concrete cutting saws. The slab was cut into small manageable squares which were removed by a 13t excavator with rubber tyres to prevent damage to existing slab. Due to restricted headroom, roll-on/roll-off type wagon bodies were deposited adjacent to the excavation which provided the necessary space for the excavator to load away the excavated concrete and sub-base.
The original design incorporated a proprietary drainage system which, if implemented, would have caused some design and construction difficulties. Northern Construction Solutions came up with an alternative design which eliminated the requirement for the system, provided the designer with greater flexibility, made it easier to build and gave the client some savings.