Technical Description:
- Product: DuroMaxx® SRPE Liner Pipe, WC Joint (30 psi)
- Diameter: 42-inch
- Length: 220 LF
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Founded in 1885 by Henry Flagler, the Florida East Coast
Railway (FEC) is a Class II regional railroad that owns a 351-mile mainline
track in Florida from Jacksonville down to Miami. The FEC Railway is the
exclusive rail provider for Port Miami, Port Everglades and Port of Palm Beach.
The FEC connects to the national railway system in
Jacksonville, allowing it to provide rail service in and out of Georgia,
Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina, into and out of Florida’s east
coast. Based in Jacksonville, FEC provides end-to-end intermodal and carload
solutions to customers who demand cost-effective and premium quality transportation
solutions. Every day, the railroad is moving commodities such as aggregate,
automobiles, bulk liquids, building materials, orange juice, electronics and other
items.
Given the high demand placed upon the FEC track, it was very
important that the line remains fully functioning 24-hours a day, seven days a
week. In order to maintain the track, FEC engineers will routinely inspect
crossings and culverts to ensure the line remains structurally intact. A 48-inch
diameter, reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) drainage culvert was found to be
structurally deficient with cracking and spalling occurring throughout the run
combined with joint failures that were very concerning. FEC called on MG
Underground LLC, a leader in installation and rehabilitation of buried
infrastructure, to assess the condition and identify the best solutions for
consideration.
Completing an infrastructure assessment and enacting a preventive
maintenance plan to ensure that production is not hindered with aging or
failing infrastructure is imperative. Deteriorated culverts not only pose
potential production losses but can also be a health and environmental hazard
if not identified and repaired or replaced in time.
To avoid any down time to the line above, which was an
imperative aspect to the project, both the FEC and MG Underground determined
that a relining solution was the best route to go. After some review of
available solutions, MG Underground recommended sliplining with DuroMaxx® SRPE
liner pipe with welded coupler (WC) joints, a steel reinforced polyethylene
pipe manufactured by Contech Engineered Solutions LLC. Offering the strength of
steel and the durability of pressure rated polyethylene resin (PE), DuroMaxx is
a smooth inner wall pipe with a Manning’s “n” value of 0.012 that provides
superior durability with enhanced hydraulic capacity. Manufactured at their
nearby plant in Montgomery, Alabama, the DuroMaxx liner pipe was shipped
directly to the construction site.
For the installation process, MG Underground diverted the
waterflow from the inside of the host pipe to expedite the sliplining process
as well as the grout curing process. Using a hammer head and wedge system to pull
the liner pipe in to the inlet of the culvert, MG lined the deteriorating host
pipe with 42-inch diameter, DuroMaxx SRPE and then incorporated a backhoe on
the outlet end of the pipe to pull the pipe into place throughout the 220 LF
length of the original drainage culvert. Utilizing the push-pull method, they
were able to lay and joint five sections per day. Once the liner pipe was in
place, a lightweight, cellular grout was pumped through in a single-stage lift
approach. This is done most efficiently by constructing a bulkhead at each end
of the reline and allowing the new pipe to float to the crown of the existing
pipe while grout is pumped into the annular space. The grout was pumped in a
controlled manner to ensure balanced filling on all sides and cured. This
allowed MG to employed only a small crew for the installation process,
providing added savings and improving the efficiency of the installation and
time needed to complete the project. The entire installation was completed in
just one week.
The owner of MG Underground LLC, Donald Goff, P.E.,
commented, “DuroMaxx makes it easy to install, especially with its easy-to-use
pressure rated 30 psi joints.”
The end result to what could have been a time-consuming and
costly replacement was a reline solution utilizing a steel, reinforced
polyethylene liner pipe that provided both the strength and durability
necessary to offer a permanent, structural solution that would extend the
service life of the existing host pipe for over 100-years.
Technical Description:
- Product: DuroMaxx® SRPE Liner Pipe, WC Joint (30 psi)
- Diameter: 42-inch
- Length: 220 LF
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