Richards Bay, South Africa

Pile cage with O-cell assembly, Richards Bay
As part of continuing development and expansion, a planned dry bulk terminal required a large jetty to be constructed to allow deep-water access. Using conventional top-down testing systems would have meant mobilising and building kentledge arrangement offshore or the construction of expensive reaction piles.
Bi-directional loading and testing techniques eliminated the associated problems of conventional top-down testing in an offshore environment.

Cage installation with O-cell assembly, Richards Bay Two single level O-cell® tests were performed on one 1200mm and one 1800mm nominal diameter piles constructed wet to 66 m. The piles were installed offshore using an environmentally friendly, biodegradable vinyl polymer slurry. By using the O-cell® to apply the load and by placing strain gauges at strategic elevations in the shaft, Loadtest were able to assess side shear characteristics in specific zones, as well as isolating end bearing.

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Richards Bay, South Africa