Solid Foundation for Grain Storage

Solid Foundation for Grain Storage

URETEK ICR was contacted regarding settlement in two identical 1.5 million bushel grain flat storage buildings.   The overall structure dimensions were 600 ft. long by 135 ft. wide with a Quonset style roof . Below the floor of the storage buildings, a tunnel with conveyance system and a series of aeration tunnels were installed to facilitate moisture control and grain transport. 

Problem

There were two areas of concern, 1) the area between the centralized conveyance tunnel and 2) the aeration tunnels.  Specifically a 12 ft. wide by 600 ft. long  section on either side of the tunnel had settled and cracked. All slabs were 8 in. thick reinforced 3,000 psi concrete.

PROJECT VITALS:

Location: South Dakota

Problem: Settled & Cracked Floor Slabs Due to Weight and Traffic Patterns

Date of Project: Spring 2012

Project Information: 600’ x 135’ Storage Building Floor Stabilization/Lifting.

During construction of the facilities, both structures experienced a major rain event and an accumulation of snow prior to installation of the roof system. It is thought that the runoff from both events seeped through the joints where the tunnels and slabs meet causing erosion along the exterior of the tunnels and saturating sub-soils.

Over the course of the first 1.5 years of  service, both facilities experienced settlement to varying degrees. The Roscoe location had settlement averaging 1.5 inches and with a maximum of 3 inches while the Andover location did not exceed an average of .75 of an inch.

 Drilling revealed that soils at the Roscoe location were highly saturated while the Andover location presented as only slightly above normal soil moisture content.

 

Proposed Solution:

 

Due to time constraints, only small windows were available to perform work at both locations. The facilities are run year round repairs had to be made during a scheduled outage window.

Section of Sinking Floor (-2 5/8?)

The Roscoe location was the first to be repaired. The URETEK ICR – Northern US crew met the tight schedule, averaging over 2,000 square feet per day. The facility had a small quantity of soy beans in one half of the facility while the crew was on site. Once one half of the floor had been lifted, beans were transferred to the completed area so work could continue on the other half of the floor.

Elevated View: Storage Floor

Elevated Viewpoint of Grain Floor Settlement

 

Once the Roscoe facility was repaired, the URETEK ICR – Northern US crew moved to the Andover site.  The Andover work was completed in five days with URETEK ICR – Northern US lifting and stabilizing approximately 3,000 square ft. per day.

Both facilities were back online immediately after the areas were completed. Andover began refilling the storage building within three hours of the departure of the URETEK ICR Northern US crew.

Due to the presence of high moisture content in the soils, coupled with the as designed use of the facility, URETEK 486STAR material was chosen for the project. URETEK’s solution is often referred to as an alternative to mudjacking.  However, with the advancement in technology and injection equipment, along with a vastly improved and completely different material, URETEK is simply an evolution of the mudjacking concept.  The patented geo-polymer’s unique ability to perform well in high moisture and saturated soil environments, its ability to lift, and withstand higher ‘as designed’ loads made it an ideal choice for both locations.

Lastly, soil testing done prior to construction showed no specific soil anomalies at depth at either site.  Therefore the industry leading URETEK Method® was employed for lifting and stabilization of the affected area.

Overall, only three days at each site were projected for project completion.

Project Summary:

URETEK ICR – Northern US was able to stabilize, lift and return to service 28,800 square feet of storage facility in a matter of a few days, at each site, meeting the customer’s need for speed and efficiency.  URETEK ICR Northern US was also able to meet the ‘as designed’ usage load requirement averaging 1,037 lbs. per square foot constant at each location. URETEK ICR Northern US counts this as a successful project.  This is due to these factors:

Factors for Success

  • The project was completed within the tight timeline and budget.
  • The use of the URETEK Method® process was able to successfully lift and stabilize all affected areas,, as designed.
  • The URETEK 486star material overcame highly water-saturated soil conditions, delivering the desired results without compromise.
  • The customer now knows of a fast and cost effective solution to settled grain storage facilities.

Benefits:

URETEK ICR Northern US repair solution allowed the grain storage facility to quickly and effectively take care of the problem, restore original design capability, and all the while continuing production without interruption.  The customer and facility are better able to handle the high-volume load and capacities required of their customers without any hesitation around the floor’s ability to support the loads.

2 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing about the grain storage construction. In Guymon, OK, they have seen some great results.

  2. Thats nice information you have shared, Storing the Grain has become much more important aspect as we are seeing global warming affect on weather with unpredictable long dry seasons and long rainy days, It is good the people are getting to know the importance of Grain Storage so that the food supply does not get disrupted 🙂

Comments are closed.