Problem
An Australian building, civil, and construction company needed a 24-tonne Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) drill rig supported to be able to commence work on the Bridge Mall/Bakery Hill precinct redevelopment.
This precinct is historically significant because it is the oldest commercial retail area in Ballarat.
The project would need to be planned in two stages to account for the CFA drill rig moving into position on top of the Ballarat Culverts, and then commencing work at a set location. These culverts are brick, bluestone, and concrete culverts that are part of a nineteenth-century water management system that extends through Ballarat.
However, the CFA drill rig couldn’t be placed on the culverts without additional support because of its substantial weight, which could potentially collapse and damage the culverts.
The other challenge with this project was that access to the culverts was done through a small manhole, meaning all equipment needed to be delivered through the tiny opening. Also, the culverts were subject to sudden flooding, which meant that work inside the culverts could only be carried out during minimal or no rainfall.
Solution
To address the customer’s needs, we designed, engineered, and installed a two-stage solution.
In the first stage, SH400 header beams and Titan Props were used to backprop inside the culverts. This method avoided needing a blanket of heavy-duty props across the entire culvert area, reducing installation time and costs.
The second stage was creating a catch deck, or temporary propping system designed to support a platform structure that is being removed, with our Titan Props and GT Beams.
This catch deck accounted for the dead loads of the concrete and I-Beams being removed, enabling permanent works to proceed.
As a result of our solution and the expertise of the Shore Hire team in working in tight conditions and planning an installation around a number of hazards and safety protocols, the work was safely completed with the drill rig, contributing to the revitalisation of the historic retail precinct in Ballarat.
The success of this project was made possible by the combined efforts of multiple Shore Hire teams and services, including Engineering, our rigging & installation team, yard teams, and our Sales & Operations Coordinators.
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