UCC customers continue to benefit from our multidisciplinary dive teams throughout the Midwest Division. From heavy marine construction to underwater nuclear coating services UCC is the leading expert in commercial diving for a vast array of industries.
During the fall of 2014 one of UCC’s Underwater Inspection Dive Teams documented several sections of wooden planking within the center of a gate apron missing on a Dam in the Northern Midwest. Due to the missing planks, the spillway apron was undermined to a depth of 18 inches below the bottom of the apron and below the divider wall. The undermining appeared to be limited to the downstream half of the apron.
The results of the dive inspection were presented in UCC’s comprehensive inspection report, which also included conceptual repairs of the spillway apron and left downstream wing wall. A repair plan was approved and construction began late February. UCC’s Marine Construction Dive Teams mobilized from the Milwaukee Wisconsin office.
Repairs consisted of the placement of two (2) 2’ X 3’ X 16’ Fabriform® Bags along the downstream toe of the apron. The bags were filled with a flowable grout mix with 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi) design strength. The grout mix was placed by pump truck using a 3-inch tremie pipe. Once the bags cured overnight, divers pumped approximately 26 cubic yards of the same 5,000 psi grout into the repair area.
Even though this concrete repair was “small” in nature. UCC tackled it, as with every project, in a “big” way – the best service, safety and performance available throughout the industry.