Large Core Drilling for a Division of the Cleveland Bridge

Construction Solutions joined forces with a division of the Cleveland Bridge in order to find a resolution to a tremie pipe failure in the Corquetiz Bridge construction. Construction Solutions provided consulting engineering, the custom equipment design-build and onsite support. They also supplied special purpose core drill diamond segments.

During the construction of the Corquetiz Bridge piers near San Francisco California, a tremie pipe failure caused the concrete of a section of one pier to be improperly consolidated. There were two possible remedies for this problem. One was to completely remove the pier and reconstruct a replacement. The other was to remove only the effected section and then complete a partial reconstruction of the pier. Because of timing and economic reasons, it was decided to remove only the effected section, drill new reinforcing steel attachment holes, and re-pour the concrete. In order to remove the effected section, a diamond core drill bit was required. It needed to have a diameter measuring at 79 inches and a length measuring 39 feet.

Construction Solutions worked with a division of the Cleveland Bridge and designed special diamond bit segments which were then affixed to a 8.5 ton core barrel rolled specifically for this job at the San Diego Naval Yard.