Marine Piling Grout for Ferry Terminal Upgrade 

THE CHALLENGE

As part of a renovation and upgrade of the Isle of Man Ferry Terminal, the specialist contractor needed to install rock socketed piles for the landing stage and mooring. A specialist, high performance grout was needed to securely anchor the piles. This grout would be pumped into place and would need to displace water from the pile sockets, set under water and gain strength rapidly. It also needed to be non-toxic, safe for marine life and not harm water quality. Tarmac’s Specialist Products team were approached for a solution to meet the challenging needs of this project.

THE SOLUTION

After discussion on the client’s requirements, Tarmac’s Specialist Products team recommended Pozament Polymer Modified BC91P Grout, a pre-blended, cement-based grout that uses selected fillers and polymeric additives to provide washout resistance. When mixed with water, its highly fluid consistency allows it to be easily pumped into place. The Polymer Modified Grout Range is formulated to minimise shrinkage and high resistance to washout and sulphates. These characteristics make it ideal for marine applications. Pozament Polymer Modified BC91P Grout offers faster setting times of between 2 and 3.5 hours and high compressive strength gain, achieving 22 N/mm2 after 24 hours and 62 N/mm2 at 28 days. This high final strength would ensure that the piles were installed securely.

RESULTS AND BENEFITS

Work progressed well with the rock socketed piles installed as planned. The fast-setting times and rapid strength gains allowed the pile casing to be removed after just 24 hours which meant that it could be re-used, delivering a time and cost saving for the client. As the product is pre blended, there was no need to store aggregate or mix on site which was easier for the contractor and their client. Polymer Modified BC91P Grout is part of Pozament’s range of specialist grouts, mortars, limes and cements relied on by civil engineers to tackle the most challenging problems.