When ships come in too quick, the pier gets bashed, Maui

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Maui Pier 1 Matson terminal.   When a tug brings in a big ship too fast, then wham!   There goes the fender supports.  Remnants were hanging by a thread.   This required complete demolition.   The  main difficulty was access.  The State only wanted one  concrete support replaced.   This made low cost mobilization difficult.  We ended up erecting  a hanging plywood platform.  After demolition of the support, we formed a rebar cage and anchored the cage  into the concrete wall using injected paste epoxy.   We then formed and applied an epoxy bonding agent.   We used a mortar mixer and fast curing super strength concrete mix,  transported by buckets, rodded and vibrated after every bag installed.    Other issues were environmental.   No debris could fall in the ocean.   The plywood platform was wide enough to catch all the debris.   The demo concrete fell in massive chunks.   However, the buoyancy of the wood frame helped support the weight.   We had to break the large chunks into smaller pieces to transport out.   The platform survived several tide changes, waves, and heavy weight through the duration of the project.

There was a concern of the form failing due to the  massive vertical weight.   We used large concrete tapcons and made wooden hangers to help support the weight.    The big fear was a form bursting or leaking. A big problem if we dispersed  uncured concrete into the ocean.  We  used a quick setting concrete that actually partially hardened with each lift, helping support the weight.  Slow and steady won the race and the pour went without leaks or failures.

 

The next possible problem was creating shrinkage cracks due to using a fast setting concrete, in lifts, on a hot Maui day.   Besides using a curing agent we kept the forms wet.   We had to fly back to Maui, a week later, to strip the forms.    A team of State inspectors were there to see the forms stripped.   Because we used a very expensive concrete it had expansion properties resulting in no cracks of any kind.   They brought sledge hammers and really beat on the new concrete to test for hollow planes or honey combs.  But, when you pour in lifts, rod and vibrate after every bag, this should not be an issue.

 

Security was a big deal.  Maui has tough standards.  Our personnel have TWIC and MARSEC cards so we were A-OK.  We were able to do the job with only 3 people and accommodate a tight client budget.

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