Magazine - Soletanche Bachy

Soil
Magazine
December 2013 — No. 1
P. 06 DUO / TWO HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS in Singapore
P. 08 WORLD ROUNDUP
P. 20 DUNKIRK LNG TERMINAL - France
P. 22tunnels
P. 23 WIND TURBINES
Build on us
PICTURE
LOUVRE MUSEUM, Paris, France
The Department of Islamic Art is opened
The Louvre Museum opened its new
Department of Islamic Art in September 2012.
The new exhibition spaces have a floor area
of nearly 7,000 sq. metres on two levels and
house one of the world's largest collections
of Islamic art.
To prepare construction of the new
department, infrastructure works were
required along the existing museum facades.
Prior to the earthworks, which reached a
depth of up to 12 metres, Soletanche Bachy
underpinned the existing buildings (by means
of jet grouting and grouting) and built
retaining structures (shotcrete walls stabilised
with active ground anchors and soil nails).
Two design approaches (ultimate strength and
finite element) were required to assess the
necessary reinforcement and to phase the works.
Editorial
Soletanche Bachy - Menard
The world's most comprehensive network
of geotechnical engineering contractors
am pleased to introduce this new magazine. Its
purpose is to present the combined capabilities
of Soletanche Bachy and Menard, both world
leaders in their respective specialities. From
design to worksite operations, the two companies
join forces, integrating their design, equipment
and construction resources to cover the full range
of cutting-edge geotechnical works (foundations,
retaining structures, strengthening and cut-off,
underpinning, ground improvement, etc.) and their
specific expertise (tunnels, marine works,
monitoring, soil remediation, etc.).
For our clients, this means that we are able to deliver
the right solution, tailored to the specific features of
each project and backed by the global capabilities
of a large group with locations in more than 40
countries. In this magazine, we will be describing
our projects and the technical challenges that our
Soletanche Bachy and Menard teams have
successfully tackled by applying their creative
capabilities, along with a constant quest for
excellence and an uncompromising safety policy.
jérôme stubler
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF
SOLETANCHE FREYSSINET
Contents
04 News
06
Interview
with Lim Kah Hock
DUO project in Singapore
08
World roundup
A spotlight on a number
of emblematic projects
10
Projects
Worksite review
20
Major project
LNG terminal
at Dunkirk, France
22
Speciality
Tunnels
23
Solutions
wind turbine foundations
24
Technology
Cit'Easy: an innovative process for
urban worksites
ASIRI: a national rigid inclusion project
02
26
Year
1954
03
27
Group
Soletanche Freyssinet
•Communication Department 133 boulevard National - F- 92500 Rueil-Malmaison •Director of Publication Marine d’Anterroches •Editor in chief Agnès Baranger
•Editorial board Stéphane Monleau, Stéphane Cognon •Design
•Layout Clément Fusil •Translation Alto •Photo credits Ethan Rohlhoff, Hélène Peter / VINCI
photo library, LegoRogers, MVB - Andras Nemeth, Happy Day, Cédric Helsly, JM Huron, Soletanche Bachy, Menard & Soletanche Freyssinet photo libraries •Cover
photo Barangaroo seafront redevelopment project, Sydney - Australia
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
News
1,400
Number
metres
is the length of the pile-supported
jetty that the Soletanche Bachy International/Cimas and
Conconcreto Joint Venture is building as part of the
Puerto Brisa project in Colombia.
Sustainability
Prism. To mitigate environmental impact, Soletanche
Bachy and Menard jointly developed the Prism life cycle
assessment software tool. Prism offers a comprehensive
environmental assessment for a project, from tendering
through construction, making it possible to compare the
environmental impact of alternative construction options.
Country
Colombia
Colombia is one of Latin America's most
dynamic countries. Soletanche Bachy, which
has operated in Colombia for more than 15
years, further strengthened its roots there by
acquiring Geofundaciones in 2012.
Soletanche Bachy Cimas and Geofundaciones
are, at one and the same time, local companies
and members of a large group - a dual identity
that serves them well in their work on the
infrastructure projects (especially port works)
entrusted to them.
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Contract
Second Wouri Bridge
As part of a consortium that also
includes Sogea-Satom, Dodin
Campenon Bernard and Sogea TPI,
Soletanche Bachy is working to design
and build a key structure that will
improve the flow of trade in Cameroon.
The 760 metre bridge over the Wouri
River at Douala will have two decks
– one to carry road traffic (five lanes),
the other rail traffic (two tracks).
Soletanche Bachy is particularly responsible for the foundations (50 injected
piles with a diameter of 2.5 metres anchored at a depth of nearly 70 metres)
and the 1,400 linear metres of heavy jetty.
Safety: the S.T.O.P. card
"Soletanche Bachy's and Menard's
Canadian subsidiaries Agra Foundations
and Geopac have developed "Stop,
Think, Organize and Proceed" cards
that have proven effective and are
currently being distributed throughout
all Menard Group subsidiaries.
Whenever anyone on a worksite
detects an unsafe situation, he or she
can hold up the card. Work is then
stopped and only continues once
the problem has been solved."
Quote
david maltman
QHSE DIRECTOR – MENARD
04
05
Event
The 18th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and
Geotechnical Engineering, held in Paris, France in
September 2013, drew more than 2,100 participants. Global
soil specialists Soletanche Bachy and Menard were present
as conference partners.
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Interview
Lim Kah Hock, PROJECT MANAGER AT M+S
"On the DUO project,
we had a win-win partnership"
M+S initiated the ambitious DUO project
comprising two high-rise buildings in the
heart of Singapore's Bugis district. What
are the main challenges on this project?
L.K.H.: There are several issues related to the site,
such as its proximity to the Bugis metro station,
the presence of a large layer of marine clay and
the planned construction of an underground
expressway as part of Singapore's road system
expansion programme.
The high-rise buildings also have substantial
cantilevers, which gives them their iconic shape.
The designer must take account of that when
engineering the structure and minimising
displacements, and the contractor must
coordinate with the facade company and the
other building trades, especially the companies
responsible for the lifts.
You called on Bachy Soletanche Singapore to
provide expertise. What were the strong
points in its bid?
L.K.H.: First of all its state-of-the-art technical
expertise. Bachy Soletanche came up with a
resourceful pile and wall design by suggesting
ways to significantly optimise the prefounded
columns and the diaphragm wall. These value
engineering proposals generated were much
appreciated as they came after Bachy Soletanche
Singapore had been awarded the project.
Secondly, Bachy Soletanche has a long track
record in foundations. Our design office was able
to build on that expertise to work out the best
construction methods. We appreciated the spirit
in which Bachy Soletanche Singapore worked
with our consultants to achieve the objective.
Did Bachy Soletanche Singapore meet your
expectations in terms of solutions,
deadlines, quality and safety?
L.K.H.: Both our own and our consultants' teams
are completely satisfied with the work. They
particularly appreciated the care with which
Bachy Soletanche looked for optimum solutions
and costs, the fact that they delivered on time,
and their attention to quality and safety. They
also appreciated the excellent working relations
among the various stakeholders. And last but
not least, we were impressed with Bachy
Soletanche's commitment to completing the
work a month ahead of schedule and to
facilitate the construction of car parks for our
model apartments.
By way of conclusion, how would you
describe your relationship with Bachy
Soletanche Singapore?
L.K.H.: On the DUO project, we had a win-win
partnership. The foundations were successfully
built. We will be calling on the company in our
upcoming calls for tender.
LIM KAH HOCK
Soletanche Bachy in Singapore. The Group's subsidiary
Bachy Soletanche Singapore began operating in the city-state in
the 1970s. Bachy Soletanche Singapore is familiar with the Bugis
district (having built the foundations for the Bugis Junction
shopping mall and the walls for the existing metro station in the
1980s) where it is now completing the new metro station as
general contractor (Contract C903).
In a nutshell
DUO
— Project The project
consisted in building the
foundations for two highrise buildings designed by
Buro Ole Sheeren for the
DUO project. DUO is a SGD
3 billion (US$ 2.4 billion)
high-end mixed-use
project comprising offices,
residences, a boutique
retail gallery and a hotel.
— Stakeholders
Bachy Soletanche Singapore
carried out the foundation
works for M+S, a consortium
made up of Malaysian and
Singaporean sovereign funds.
Obayashi will carry out the
civil engineering works.
— Solution 23,000 sq.
metres of diaphragm walls
(of 1 metre thick and up to
65 metre deep) and 437
piles (with diameters of up
to 2.5 metres) including
320 prefounded columns
(weighing up to 1.3 tonnes
per metre). Bachy Soletanche
brought added value to the
project by using (a first in
Singapore) a higher steel
grade for the prefounded
columns and adapting the
design of the wall in the
deepest zone ("trouser leg").
— Duration 10 months of
general contracting works.
06
07
WORLD
ROUNDUP
A few emblematic projects
lee tunnel
WAREHOUSES
u.s.
WOLF CREEK NUCLEAR
u.s.
PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES
canada
VANCOUVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
United kingdom
MUSEUM OF THE
SECOND WORLD WAR
poland
canada
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
u.s.
DUNKIRK LNG TERMINAL
France
LGV SEA
France
BBVA BANCOMER TOWER
mexico
CEVA
SWITZERLAND
atlantic bridge
BATA SEWER
panama
puerto brisa
colombia
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
el teniente mine
chile
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
puerto belgrano
argentina
muelle c
uruguay
port of lomé
TOGO
meerkat
RADIO Telescope
SOUTH AFRICA
WOURI BRIDGE
CAMEROON
Oil & gas
Metro
Marine
structure
Building
Mine
Water &
sewerage
Dam
Railway
Industry
Bridge
Energy
Nuclear site
Airport
LEGO FACTORY
WYNN COTAI CASINO
HUNGARY
Macao
EXPRESS RAIL LINK
Hong Kong
JAKARTA AIRPORT
INDONESIA
KUTUBU CENTRAL
PROCESSING FACILITY
BUKIT BINTANG STATION
MALAYSIA
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
ABU DHABI PLAZA
KAZAKHSTAN
JEBEL ALI PORT
U.A.E.
08
THE POINTE – PALM JUMEIRAH
U.A.E.
CHRISTCHURCH WASTE
WATER TREATMENT PLANT
NEW ZEALAND
LAKE NYOS DAM
CAMEROON
JEDDAH SOUTH
THERMAL POWER PLANT
SAUDI ARABIA
NATIONAL ART GALLERY
SINGAPORE
RAFFLES DRY DOCK
SINGAPORE
BARANGAROO PROJECT
AUSTRALIA
ICHTHYS LNG
PROJECT
AUSTRALIA
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
09
Projects
Worksite review
United States
WAREHOUSES
Two major projects were completed in New Jersey in May and June 2013.
The new warehouse and corporate headquarters (totalling 57,000 sq. metres) of Goya Foods required
foundation soil improvement. Menard proposed a solution of installing more than 11,000 Controlled
Modulus Columns (CMCs). At the site, construction had to contend with the presence of a former landfill and
flooding following Hurricane Sandy. The proposed drilling programme confirmed a highly diverse soil profile
still containing large amounts of waste. Following the flooding, the Menard teams brought in up to four CMC
machines to work simultaneously. Ultimately the project was handed over a month ahead of schedule.
The Prologis Ports Pulaski Warehouse Project, developed by Prologis, Inc., consisted in building an 82,000 sq.
metre logistics facility. Up to six drilling machines worked concurrently to improve the foundation soils for
the structure by installing about 12,000 CMCs. The site, which rests on former landfill debris, was on the
national list of sites requiring extensive remediation. CMCs were a good alternative to traditional pile
foundations in terms of cost, efficiency and environmental impact (minimum amount of spoil using the
displacement drilling method to construct the CMCs).
Menard
Ground improvement for Goya Foods new warehouse and corporate headquarters
United States
PROVO TEMPLE
A fire destroyed the Mormon temple in Provo, Utah in December 2010, leaving only the
brick facade and the rough sandstone foundations. The Church of Jesus Christ of the
Latter-Day Saints decided to renovate the building. The design and build project retained the
historic building structure and included, in addition to the renovation, the creation of three
underground levels. The project was entrusted to Soletanche Bachy's North American
subsidiary Nicholson Construction, which employed a wide range of geotechnical speciality
techniques including post-grouted micropiles drilled with duplex and post-grouting method,
underpinning, jet grouting, dewatering, deep well groundwater lowering, Berlin solider and
lagging-wall built with an ABI vibrator, wood shoring and using self-drilling anchors. During
the project, Nicholson Construction used a trenching machine to build a combined cut-off
wall and retaining wall structure, a first for the company. The technically complex project was
also visually impressive. During construction of the micropiles and the excavations,
the temple appeared to be floating on air.
soletanche bachy
Mexico
BBVA
BANCOMER
TOWER
On the main avenue in Mexico City,
Soletanche Bachy's Mexican subsidiary
Cimesa served as general contractor on the
BBVA Bancomer high-rise building project.
On land previously occupied by three
buildings, the company built a 1 metre wide,
24,000 sq. metre perimeter diaphragm wall,
barrettes (up to 50 metres deep and 1 metre
wide) and 156 circular piles (1.40 metre
diameter, 50 metres deep) with pre-founded
steel columns. Prior to the start of works, the
cisterns and some 500 driven piles of the old
building foundations had to be demolished.
For the underground levels, 122,000 cu.
metres of earth were excavated using the
top-down method to cope with the presence
of very soft clays and a water table close to
the surface. The underground civil
engineering works notably consisted in
building the 8-metre capping beam, 42,000
sq. metres of flooring and the 6,000 sq.
metres of 2 metre thick raft foundation. The
works were carried out in compliance with
top environmental standards, earning the
project LEED (Leadership in Energy &
Environmental Design) Platinum certification.
soletanche bachy
In a nutshell
BBVA BANCOMER TOWER
— Project
Construction of the
tower foundations and 6
underground parking levels
— Solution Perimeter
diaphragm wall, barrettes
and circular piles for the
foundations, top-down
excavation, structural
steel, capping beam, slab
and base slab for the
underground levels
— Client BBVA
Bancomer, the Mexican
subsidiary of Spain's
BBVA bank
— Duration June 2010 –
March 2013
10
11
Projects
United Kingdom
lee tunnel
Some 10 km from the City in
London, the Morgan Sindall, VINCI
Construction Grands Projets and
Bachy Soletanche Joint Venture is
building the Lee Tunnel, a major
project in terms of both its size and its
environmental purpose. The project,
initiated by Thames Water Utilities
Limited, will enable the sewer system
to better handle excess runoff during
periods of heavy precipitation and
ensure more efficient wastewater
treatment. Completed in 2013, the 5
shafts – the largest ever built in the
United Kingdom – were built using
diaphragm walls. The largest of the
shafts has a 1.80 metre thick wall and
is 41 metres in diameter and 98
metres deep. A fibre-reinforced
concrete is applied to form a lining
over the diaphragm wall. A slurry
pressure tunnel boring machine is
currently connecting the shafts to
each other. The Joint Venture is in
charge of designing and installing the
MEICA equipment and pumps
required to manage the sewage.
soletanche bachy
In a nutshell
lee tunnel
— Project The Lee Tunnel project
is part of London’s newest sewer
infrastructure and will ultimately
join the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
This initial infrastructure itself
consists of 5 large diameter
shafts with a combined capacity
of 350,000 cu. metres, connected
by a 7 km long tunnel
— Solution Diaphragm walls
built with conventional grabs for
the upper superficial layers and a
Hydrofraise for the deepest layers
— Client Thames Water Utilities
Limited
— Duration May 2010 –
December 2015
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
France
lgv sea
North of the Dordogne, the
South Europe Atlantic highspeed rail line between Tours
and Bordeaux crosses a swamp
over a 1.2 km section. The
geotechnical cross-section
includes a layer of very poor
quality soil at a depth of 2 metres:
a 2 to 3 metre layer of peat with a
water content of 300 to 400%. To
support the railway embankment,
Soletanche Bachy’s subsidiary
Balineau proposed a solution
consisting of rigid inclusions
combined with vertical drains. In
an original feature, the solution
uses prefabricated driven
concrete piles, a technique rarely
employed in France. Soletanche
Bachy's Spanish subsidiary Rodio
Kronsa, working with Balineau on
this project, prefabricated the
piles in Madrid. The 8,400 vertical
drains have been installed down
to the sandy substrate and the
8,400 piles, which are slightly
trapezoidal in shape, are currently
being driven.
soletanche bachy
In a nutshell
LGV sea tours-bordeaux
12
— Project Foundation for a
1.2 km long embankment
with a width of some 30
metres and a height of 5 to
6 metres on a section of the
SEA high-speed rail line
— Solution 8,400 drilled
vertical drains and 8,400 driven
prefabricated concrete piles
— Client Construction joint
venture COSEA
— Duration 8 months
13
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Projects
In a nutshell
JEBEL ALI’S
TERMINAL 3
— Project
Construction of a
terminal with a 1,860
metre long, 17 metre
draught quay and a 70
hectare storage yard at
Jebel Ali
— Solution Reinforced
concrete diaphragm
quay wall
— Client Port operator
DP World
— Duration 34
months, with handover
scheduled in March
2015
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
JEBEL ALI
PORT
The capacity of the region's main
container port of Jebel Ali will be raised
to 19 million TEU by 2014. DP World
initiated construction of a third terminal to
accommodate the growth of shipping traffic
and prepare to meet future needs. The
1,860 metre long, 17 metre draught
structure will have a 70 hectare storage
yard and be able to serve Post-Panamax
generation container vessels. The TOASoletanche Bachy joint venture was selected
to design, build, commission and equip the
new container terminal. In addition to
building 54,000 sq. metres of diaphragm
walls (to a depth of up to 28 metres and
with a thickness of 1.5 metres) and 530
barrettes (up to 11 metres deep and
0.8 metres wide), Soletanche Bachy is
responsible for soil improvement for the
temporary and permanent backfill for the
wall (700,000 cu. metres) and supply and
installation of 1,000 anchors (with a 75 mm
diameter and a length of 35 metres).
soletanche bachy
Saudi Arabia
THERMAL
POWER PLANT
South of Jeddah, a thermal power plant
is under construction. The 2,640 MW
facility, one of the largest in the Middle
East, will supply a population of 2 million.
Menard Vibro, the subsidiary of Menard in
the Middle East, is carrying out the ground
improvement works. The company is
using vibro-compacted stone columns
and dynamic replacement to increase the
bearing capacity of the soil and limit
long-term settlement. The major
difficulty lies in the project's location on
the banks of the Red Sea, where it rests
on "sabkha", a fine soil requiring very
complex improvement that extends to a
depth of 7 metres at the site. The total
depth of treatment can be up to 15 to
20 metres.
menard
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
In a nutshell
JEDDAH SOUTH
THERMAL POWER
PLANT
— Project Soil
improvement over an
area of 700,000 sq.
metres as part of the
construction of a thermal
power plant
— Solution Stone
columns by vibro
replacement and
dynamic replacement
— Client Hyundai Heavy
Industries, in charge
of building the power
plant for Saudi Electricity
Company
— Duration Completion
scheduled in December
2013
In a nutshell
THIRD QUAY IN THE
PORT OF LOMÉ
— Project
Modernisation and
extension of the
container terminal in
the Port of Lomé, with
construction of a third
quay with a length of
450 metres and a depth
of 15 metres
— Solution Combi-wall
of alternating steel tubes
and sheet piling
— Client
The concessionaire, Togo
Terminal, a subsidiary of
Bolloré Africa Logistics
— Duration 18 months,
with handover scheduled
in November 2013
Togo
PORT OF LOMÉ
As the countries of the hinterland increasingly use
the Port of Lomé, the port is undergoing major upgrade
works. A third quay is being built to serve container ships
with a capacity of up to 7,000 TEU. Togo Terminal awarded
the project to a consortium made up of Soletanche Bachy
(leader), Sogea-Satom and EMCC. It consists in building a
450 metre quay wall as well as the turning circle and the
entry channel. The combi-wall quay combines largediameter (1,412 mm) piles with a length of more than 30
metres with pairs of sheet piling. This metal retaining
structure was stabilised with passive tie rods anchored in a
sheet piling anchor wall. Overall, nearly 4,000 tonnes of
steel were installed. The entrance channel was deepened to
a depth of 15 metres and the turning circle created by
dredging 1,900,000 cu. metres of materials.
The project, now nearing completion, will ultimately require
a total of more than one million hours of work. One of its
main features was the very strong involvement of the
Togolese and African workers and supervisors, notably in
safety (to date, zero lost time accidents).
soletanche bachy
14
15
Projects
Indonesia
INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT IN
JAKARTA
In September 2012, the PT Adhi
Karya (Persero) Tbk company
awarded to Menard Asia the soil
improvement works for Phase 2 of
the Terminal 3 apron extension project
at Soekarno Hatta International Airport
in Jakarta. The project was designed
to reinforce a surface area of about
345,000 sq. metres by installing
Controlled Modulus Columns. Menard
had previously carried out Phase 1,
covering 67,000 sq. metres, in 2011.
Once development works have been
completed, the apron will be able to
accommodate Boeing 747 aircraft.
Phase 2 of the project was completed by
the end of September 2013 and other
extension phases are in the loop.
menard
In a nutshell
TERMINAL 3 AT SOEKARNO
HATTA INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT IN JAKARTA
— Project Extension of the
terminal apron
— Solution Improvement
of 345,000 sq. metres of soil
using the CMC technique
— Client PT Adhi Karya
(Persero) Tbk
— Duration 10 months
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
In a nutshell
XRL 811A
— Project As part of
the Express Rail Link
project, construction of
a 300 metre long cutand-cover tunnel
— Solution Use of
the existing barrettes
to support the new
structure. Transfer of
loads from the old
to the new structure
in cooperation with
Freyssinet
— Client Mass
Transit Railway (MTR),
the operator of
Hong Kong's public
transport system
— Duration Four
and a half years, with
most of the works
completed in 2014
16
Hong Kong
EXPRESS RAIL LINK (XRL)
In 2015, a high-speed rail line will connect Hong
Kong and Guangzhou to reduce the travelling time
between the two cities from 90 to 48 minutes.
Soletanche Bachy's local subsidiary Bachy Soletanche
Group Limited is part of the integrated consortium
which was awarded Contract 811 A. The scope of works
comprises the construction of a 300 metre long
cut-and-cover tunnel in a dense urban environment.
During the first phase, advanced utility and traffic
diversion works were completed. In particular, a viaduct
was completely dismantled and rebuilt at a different
location. In the second phase, the geotechnical works
which comprised, a temporary diaphragm wall and the
excavation of a 240,000 cu. metre "box", were carried
out. The third and last phase, currently under way,
17
consists in building the permanent reinforced concrete
underground structure and a building to accommodate
the mechanical and electrical rooms. The main technical
difficulty of the project lies with the crossing of the
existing metro line. This imposes a very specific
sequence of works and limits the allowable settlement
and displacements. The existing line being founded on
barrettes socketed into the rock, BSGL has proposed to
re-use them to support the newly built structure. The
load transfer from the old to the new structure – a very
delicate operation – will be carried out in cooperation
with Soletanche Bachy's sister company Freyssinet
Hong Kong.
soletanche bachy
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Projects
Singapore
NATIONAL ART GALLERY
Designed to display 19th and 20th century Southeast
Asian visual art, the National Art Gallery in Singapore
will open to the public in 2015. The 60,000 sq. metre
project calls for the renovation of two adjacent structures
with national heritage status: the City Hall and the former
Supreme Court buildings. The local Soletanche Bachy
subsidiary, Bachy Soletanche Singapore, took part in the
project as a specialised foundation works subcontractor. It
has just completed the diaphragm wall for the 1 to 3
underground levels. The project had to contend with two
major challenges. First it had to conserve the two building
facades that the diaphragm wall crosses perpendicularly at
In a nutshell
THE NATIONAL ART
GALLERY, SINGAPORE
— Project Creation of 1 to
3 underground levels under
heritage buildings by means
of a diaphragm wall
— Solution Wall made with
a short grab and bridging
technique to conserve the
heritage buildings
— Client Takenaka
Corporation – Singapore
Piling Joint Venture
— Duration 24 months
(completion in September
2013)
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
4 locations. The bridging technique, also used under
underground utilities, was employed to excavate and pour
concrete beneath obstacles. Second, a highly reinforced
section of wall had to be built under existing beams with a
clearance of 5.30 metres. A very short crane boom was
designed and the method used to install the reinforcement
cages was modified. The teams manually installed the 50
mm bars and couplers to assemble cages to a depth of
28.5 metres. In some panels, the reinforcement density
reached 420 kg/cu. metres.
soletanche bachy
In a nutshell
OXIDATION PONDS AT
THE CHRISTCHURCH
WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT
— Project Rehabilitation
of the banks and soil
stabilisation to prevent
liquefaction
— Solution Soil
treatment by
vibrocompaction
— Client Christchurch
City Council
— Duration 17 months
(handover of works in
March 2013)
New Zealand
18
OXIDATION PONDS AT THE CHRISTCHURCH
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
19
To deal with damage to the Christchurch sewer system as a result of the
February 2011 earthquake, the city awarded rehabilitation and soil
improvement works to March Construction, a New Zealand subsidiary of
Menard Bachy. The goal was to reconstruct the levee banks of the oxidation
ponds and treat the soils in place to prevent liquefaction under seismic loads.
This was accomplished by the vibrocompaction technique. The project also
included construction of 51,000 linear metres of access roads and 3 hydraulic
structures to transfer water between the ponds and the estuary.
menard
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Major project
LNG
TERMINAL
Owners
— Dunkerque LNG, a 65% EDF, 25%
Fluxys and 10% Total subsidiary, for
the LNG terminal
— Grand Port Maritime de
Dunkerque, for port development
DUNKIRK - france
At the end of 201 , an LNG
terminal with an annual
regasification capacity of 13 billion
cu. metres will be opened in the
Port of Dunkirk. The project (the
second largest currently under way
in France) includes the construction
of a platform and marine structures,
the LNG terminal itself and
connecting structures.
Menard and Soletanche Bachy were
involved in various phases of the
project in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Soil stabilisation
In early 2012, the Port of Dunkirk
awarded the port development works
to a consortium that included
Menard. The project consisted in
building the dock to receive the
tankers, filling and consolidating the
platform on which the port
infrastructure was to be built, and
building the related external
breakwaters. As part of this contract,
Menard reinforced the soils below
the underwater batters to a depth of
30 metres. The purpose of this
operation was to stabilise the sand
and silt to prevent them from
liquefying in an earthquake and
ensure platform would be available
for emptying the storage tanks
several months after a seismic event.
To carry out the work, Menard used
onshore and offshore treatment
methods. The acceptance of the stone
columns required geophysical testing
to determine the shear modulus
under small strain of the treated
materials as well as the stone used
for the columns.
In late 2012 and early 2013,
Soletanche Bachy Pieux improved the
soil under the areas where the three
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage
tanks are to be built. The operation
was needed to avert the risk of loose
silty sand liquefaction and to
compensate for the heterogeneous
composition of the hydraulic backfill.
The soil was vibrocompacted and
ballast was added. The soil under
the future regasification station was
also improved.
Excavating the Flanders clay
In 2011, Dunkerque LNG entrusted a
tunnel boring project to a consortium
led by CSM BESSAC that included
Soletanche Bachy France. The 5 km
long structure with an interior
diameter of 3 metres built at a depth
of 45 metres will channel warm water
from the Gravelines nuclear power
plant to the LNG terminal, where it will
be used in the regasification process.
Before starting the operation, the
tunnel boring machine spent several
months at the CSM BESSAC
workshops, where it underwent the
required adaptations. A new cutting
wheel was designed to bore through
Flanders clay and installed on the
earth pressure balance TBM. Also
prior to tunnelling operations,
Soletanche Bachy France built the
launching shaft (diaphragm walls at
a depth of 65 metres) and the
pumping station.
of stone were used to build 100,000
linear metres of stone columns.
Menard’s and Soletanche
Bachy’s stakeholders
— Menard for soil improvement
under the platform on which port
infrastructure are to be built
— Soletanche Bachy Pieux
for soil improvement under
the 3 LNG tanks and under the
regasification station
— CSM BESSAC for the excavation
of a tunnel between the
Gravelines nuclear plant and the
LNG terminal site
— Soletanche Bachy France
for the construction of the TBM
launching shaft and the pumping
station
Menard's operations on the project
Construction of the TBM launching shaft
20
21
Georges Bonfort,
MENARD PROJECT MANAGER ON THE DUNKIRK WORKSITE
"The resources and equipment were
modified to work offshore, with continuous
operation of the machines and a long
Telebelt to distribute the stone."
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Speciality
Tunnels
COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF
UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION
AND REHABILITATION PROJECTS
Through its specialised
subsidiaries CSM BESSAC and
Soletanche Bachy Tunnels,
the Soletanche Bachy Group is
able to deliver suitable,
optimised and safe
underground works solutions.
Building on its wide range of
expertise and resources, the
Group acts as specialised works
integrator on both construction
and rehabilitation projects. It
covers all types of structures:
transport infrastructure (metro
and light rail, road and
motorway tunnels), as well as
technical, hydraulic, sewer and
mining tunnels.
The Group's design and build
services include underground
excavation and lining (using TBM
or conventional methods) as well
as related special works. The latter
includes reinforcement, site
investigation drilling, soil nails,
compensation grouting and soil
treatment. In rehabilitation and
repair works, the Group offers
safety upgrades, maintenance,
reinforcement, widening and
deconstruction services.
By integrating different
techniques, the Group can
optimise structures and rapidly
devise and implement
appropriate solutions in response
to geotechnical contingencies.
A few project references
The Group’s dual expertise including
that of its subsidiaries - that is to say
the underground works themselves
and the associated monitoring
special works - are highly valuable
assets for the delicate tasks of
complex tunnel construction and
rehabilitation works.
Port of Miami Tunnel,
· United
States
Túnel Emisor Oriente,
· Mexico
Fucha Tunjuelo,
· Interceptor
Colombia
United Kingdom
· Crossrail,
T6 Châtillon–Vélizy–Viroflay
· light
rail, France
Toulouse metro (line B),
· France
Toulon South Tunnel
· (between
the A50 and the A57
motorways), France
T33, Monaco
· Sea
outfall tunnel,
· Morocco
Bugis Station, Singapore
· C903
· West Island Line, Hong Kong
AN unprecedented technical
challenge: THE TDM
Tunnel construction company CSM BESSAC also builds tunnel boring machines, micro-TBMs and
related equipment. To meet the expectations of operator Mass Transit Railway, CSM BESSAC designed
and built the TDM (Tunnel Dismantling Machine). This unprecedented technical innovation used to
dismantle tunnels operated underground in Hong Kong on the West Island Line metro extension project
(shown above).
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Solutions
WIND TURBINES
IMPROVING THE SOIL TO SUPPORT
WIND TURBINE FOUNDATIONS
Designing solutions commensurate
with the requirements of the present
and the future – this is the spirit in which
Menard has adapted its range of soil
reinforcement services to the specific
features of wind farm projects. Two major
subsoil challenges must be met when
installing wind turbines: reducing
settlement and increasing the bearing
capacity of the foundation.
For the past 7 years, Menard has regularly
reinforced such soils in France and abroad.
Working to the differential settlement below
3 mm/m and absolute settlement below
40 mm criteria, the Group designs and
implements soil reinforcement to meet the
manufacturer's specifications. The
advantages of this solution are low cost,
accelerated construction scheduling and
risk mitigation.
Menard has already applied its solution on
more than 60 projects and in the process has
become a leader in wind farm soil reinforcement
works. The treatment can be carried out to
depths of 20 to 30 metres on a regular basis, but
exceeded 60 metres on a vibroflotation project
for ENERCON in Germany.
Soletanche Bachy develops similar technical
solutions for similar wind turbine foundations,
notably in Central Europe (15 projects
completed), rounding out the two Groups'
geographical coverage.
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
22
23
Technology
Example
Cit’Easy
an innovative process
for urban works
Challenge
Constant adaptation. To meet the special
requirements of diaphragm wall construction in
urban areas, Soletanche Bachy revisited the
conventional method used to build such structures.
In devising these solutions, its focus was on working
in confined spaces, optimising tool performance
and minimising disruption due to the works.
Solution
Soletanche Bachy developed the Cit'Easy.
A special Hydrofraise machine, the Hydrofraise XS,
was developed for urban diaphragm walls, which
as a rule have moderate thicknesses and depths.
Requiring less space and consuming less energy
than the conventional Hydrofraise, the XS
nevertheless offers equivalent or superior drilling
efficiency. A new-generation mud plant is used in
conjunction with this machine. It has three shipping
container-sized modules that can be stacked and
highly simplified connections between the elements.
The plant has a small footprint and takes very little
time to set up. The Cit'Easy process is not limited to a
single high-performance machine set. New methods
and a new production organisation have been
designed to accommodate further tool development.
Construction of a diaphragm
wall using the Cit'Easy process
as part of the RER A light rail
line cover project in Nanterre,
France
— Results
Hydrofraise XS was started
·The
up three days after it arrived at
the site (compared to one week's
set-up time for a conventional
Hydrofraise)
The machine can operate from an
8 metre wide platform, reducing
the volume of the platform to be
provided
Optimised production compared
to design, with 3.60 metre wide
unit passes
30% increase in instantaneous
excavating efficiency
·
·
·
Asiri: a national research
and design project on rigid
inclusions
Rigid inclusions
Rigid inclusion soil reinforcement consists in
transferring the load of a structure to be built over a
soft soil to a stronger soil layer. This is achieved by
building a regularly spaced grid of rigid columns and
installing a granular mattress between the reinforced
soil and the structure.
An increasingly widespread
technique
The technique has been coming into increasingly
widespread use for the past 15 years. It provides a
good technical and economic solution for
configurations in which conventional flexible
inclusions (such as stone columns) cease to be
effective. Because no technical guidelines were
available for the rigid inclusion technique, the various
industry stakeholders (companies, design offices,
academics, inspection bodies, insurers and even
clients) worked with the French Ministry of Ecology,
Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing to
launch the ASIRI rigid inclusion soil improvement
project at the IREX experimental research institute
and draw up suitable specific rules.
A set of recommendations
Between 2005 and 2011, some 40 partners joined
forces to design, conduct, interpret experiments and
model the process to gain a better understanding of
the mechanism and devise reliable design methods.
The project, which had an overall budget of
€2.7 million, culminated in the publication of a set of
recommendations in 2012.
Menard, which operates at the cutting edge of the
rigid inclusion technique (notably with its very
successful Controlled Modulus Columns), played an
active part in the project during the experimental
phase, the development of design methods and the
drafting of the recommendations. The main method
used to design slabs over rigid inclusions was
developed with the support of the Group's design
office. To enable French companies such as Menard
to export their expertise and to facilitate the use of
the technique in the international market, an English
language version of the recommendation booklet
was also produced.
Remediation
Within the Soletanche Bachy
Group, Sol Environment specialises
in soil and groundwater remediation.
Current projects include treatment of two
sites, one of which was polluted with
chlorinated solvents, the other with
arsenic. In the first case, iron micro
particles were used to break down the
pollutants by chemical reduction. In the
second case, a particularly innovative
solution was used to convert an industrial
site, in which grouting produced an
insoluble iron arsenate.
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
24
25
12
1954
Year
1
Invention of the pressuremeter
A student at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris set
himself the goal of devising a single test to measure the ultimate pressure
of the soil and its deformation modulus in order to calculate its bearing
capacity and settlement. The year was 1954, and Louis Ménard was only
23 years old when he developed and filed a patent for the device that
was to revolutionise geotechnical work: the pressuremeter. In 1957, he
set up the "Les Pressiomètres Ménard" company to market his
invention, which rapidly and successfully came into use in France,
Belgium, Sweden, Canada, Brazil, Japan, and elsewhere.
Meanwhile...
... the Serre-Ponçon dam was being built2
The dam was built across the Durance River to create France's largest reservoir
(1,270 million cu. metres). The foundation soils were a thick (110 metre) layer of
permeable granular alluvial materials. To treat them, Solétanche developed the innovative
"tube-à-manchettes" grouting method in 1952.
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
Group
As leader in soil technologies, Soletanche Bachy and Menard
belong to a group that is also a benchmark in structural and
nuclear works. Soletanche Freyssinet, comprising Soletanche
Bachy and Menard (soils), Freyssinet and Terre Armée
(structures) and Nuvia (nuclear), brings together an unrivalled
array of specialised civil engineering expertise.
19,000 80
5
employees countries companies
HALIÇ BRIDGE IN TURKEY
In Istanbul, the Haliç Bridge, the
fourth crossing over the Golden Horn estuary
is made up of two access viaducts, a cablestayed bridge and a swing bridge. Freyssinet
produced and installed the stay cables,
prestressing and bearings and erected the
segments. The structure, built on a historic
site, extends a metro line to help relieve heavy
traffic congestion. The 919 metre long bridge
creates a link between two metro tunnels on
either side of the estuary. Metro Line M2 now
continues beyond the Yenikapy terminal to
Taksim Square; and capacity has been
increased from 200,000 to about 750,000
passengers per day.
26
COVER OVER THE PTR TANKS
AT THE FESSENHEIM NUCLEAR
POWER PLANT
To provide containment for the PTR tanks
at Fessenheim, Nuvia, working for EDF, built a
combined reinforced concrete – structural steel
building cantilevered over the nuclear
buildings, which are subject to strong seismic
and climatic loads. To cope with the small
foundation area available, Soletanche Bachy
drilled micropiles to a depth of 25 metres
within a narrow space.
REINFORCED EARTH® TURNS 50
Henri Vidal filed a patent for
Reinforced Earth® in 1963, initiating a
50-year period of successful innovation
and international expansion. The
technique has been adapted to a very
large number of applications and
Reinforced Earth® walls have now been
built all over the world.
Fort Lauderdale, United States
Soil Magazine — December 2013 — No. 1
27
CONTROL YOUR GEOTECHNICAL RISK
GEOTECHNICAL MAIN
CONTRACTING
MULTIDISCIPLINARY
GEOTECHNICAL WORKS
GEOTECHNICAL EXPERTISE &
REMEDIATION
DEEP FOUNDATIONS
LOCAL GEOTECHNICAL
SPECIALITIES
Driven
piles
Design
Soil
investigation
Monitoring
Displacement
piles
Micropiles
Soil
remediation
Packaged
foundations
Underpinning
Bored piles
Barrettes
Stanchions
RETAINING
WALLS
STRENGTHENING &
CUT-OFF
CENTRALISED
SPECIALITIES
GROUND
IMPROVEMENT
Strutting
Cut-off walls
Grouting
Dewatering
Diaphragm
walls
Secant piles
Soil mixing
Compensation
grouting
Tie backs
Sheet piles
Umbrella
vaults
TBM
Bi-modulus
columns
Dynamic
replacement
Anchors
Geomix
Conventional
tunnels
Jet grouting
Trenchmix
Marine
works
Microtunneling
CMC
Vacuum
consolidation
Deep soil mixing
Berlin-type walls
Small diameter drilling
Vertical
drains
Vibroflotation
Dynamic
compaction
Rapid impact
compaction
Stone columns
Find out more
about our vision of geotechnical engineering
The SoilTeam: together, Soletanche Bachy and
Menard form the world's most comprehensive
network of geotechnical engineering contractors.
www.soletanche-bachy.com
www.menard-web.com