Project Name:   Water Transfer Tanks

Location: Ireland

Application: Precast Concrete

In 2012 Molloy Constructions in Ireland were contracted to design and construct a series of tanks for an ambitious new waste water treatment system in Ireland.
The tanks in question were 2.84 m square by 2.6 m high with a capacity of 15,000 L and dry weight of 10,000 kg without the lid. The tanks would be subjected to very high stresses and repetitive loadings as they would be filled and emptied every 15 minutes.

The primary concern from Molloy was durability of steel reinforcement. The original design called for an increased concrete cover, creating both weight and productions problems. Finite element analysis showed that a macro synthetic fibre reinforcement solution could meet the performance requirements of the structure.

Molloy Precast explain;
“We wanted to offer real value for money to both the user and the government…and we knew that steel would not be the ideal solution, as corrosion would eventually occur and reduce the life span”.
Macro synthetic fibre was subsequently used as the sole reinforcement in all water transfer tanks in the system.

Outcomes:

• Eliminates the risk of corrosion from waste water
• Reduced labour costs during production
• Increased production speeds at manufacturing plant
• Reduced element thickness and weight

Author:  Geoff Sedgman: gsedgman@elastoplastic.com