Hillsborough County Florida is using a mix of expanding polyurethane foam and conventional cement grout as a more cost effective means of filling sinkholes. Officials say the mix uses 30 to 40% less grout adding up to a 30% cost savings. The article in the Tampa Tribune did not indicate the contractor or product name that they are using but apparently several agencies in California and other states are using the same material. Story via ASCE SmartBrief.
Failures
Massive Sinkhole in Louisiana’s Bayou Corne
A sinkhole formed at the beginning of August near a brine production operation in Bayou Corne near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The sinkhole, now referred to as a slurry hole, measures roughly 600 ft by 300 […]
Articles
The Curious Case of No. 57 Stone
The American Society for Testing and Materials, or ASTM, No. 57 stone is often used as sub base fill material below road surfaces and buildings. It is a fragmented stone with angular edges and is regularly utilized as a drainage layer when used with geotextile fabric. Although the material is touted by many as "self-compacting," excess voids left from zero compactive effort in locations with little confinement may not eliminate the possibility of future settlement. What happens when the environment above the No. 57 stone causes it to settle?
[Editor] Read on for the answer to this interesting question in the case of settlement of a structure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The contributed article by Katherine Witt describes how URETEK Mid-Atlantic used their high-density polyurethane resin to stabilize the No. 57 stone beneath a settled foundation as well as lift the surrounding slab back into place. [/Editor]
Press Releases
Polyurethane Used in Marcellus Shale Region Pipeline
Pipeline Contractor Uses Advanced Technology Product in Challenging Marcellus Shale Region: Saves Money, Reduces Labor Costs and Erosion, and Protects Pipeline
MOUNT AIRY, NC—As the largest consumers of world energy, the U.S. is counting on natural gas to play a greater role in our energy mix. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts U.S. demand to increase 14 percent from 2008 to 2035 with heavy growth in the industrial and utility sectors, which means infrastructure for extracting, transporting, and storing gas is increasingly vital.
Companies like Canada’s Talisman Energy and it’s U.S. partners, are racing to build that infrastructure by putting down and protecting essential pipeline in rough, rural areas like the Marcellus Shale region of northeastern PA where severe climates can be challenging and requires new technologies like TerraThane polyurethane foam systems.
[Editor] Click through for the rest of this press release from NCFI [/Editor]