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Contractor Quadriga has acquired Brookes Specialist Contractors as part of a strategy of regional expansion....click here to read more
News
Contractor Quadriga has acquired Brookes Specialist Contractors as part of a strategy of regional expansion
The acquisition of Brookes Specialist Contractors by Quadriga was announced on Thursday 29th January 2009. Mark Pearson, Managing Director of Quadriga, said the acquisition of Brookes, which is based in the North West of England, was a “substantial step in delivering Quadriga’s strategy of expanding its regional presence and capability. With opportunities increasing, the stronger position will enable our businesses to take a leading position in meeting that demand.”
Brookes has been a competitor of Quadriga’s for the last 20 years operating in external refurbishment of buildings and structures specialising in the fields of Civils Concrete Repair and also Cathode protection. The acquisition will strengthen Quadriga’s presence in the refurbishment market offering a more comprehensive range of services which are technically advanced.
For further information please contact: Mark Pearson on 01606 330888
or email: mpearson@quadrigaltd.com
Quadriga Completes Extensive Concrete Repairs to Cliff Gardens Bridge in Colwyn, North Wales.
Cliff Gardens bridge at Old Colwyn, North Wales is a reinforced concrete structure supporting the main A55 trunk road over local residential estate roads. The structure, constructed in the early 1980’s, is immediately adjacent to the promenade at Old Colwyn and, is managed by Conwy County Borough Council acting as agents for the North Wales Trunk Road Agency.
Damage to the reinforced concrete, arising from corrosion of the embedded steel reinforcement has been recorded over time and, following completion of an in-depth condition survey during 2008, the suspicion was confirmed that the airborne salts from the marine environment had played a major role in the initiation and progression of an ongoing corrosion process. Due to the level of damage and the extent of Chloride ion contamination from contact with the sea-water, it was obvious that the only long-term remedial solution to the damage to the retaining wall, adjacent to the Afon Colwyn, would be to install an Impressed Current
Cathodic Protection system; protection of this part of the structure has been achieved using a ribbon anode system embedded in either repaired areas or chases cut into the wall itself.
The patterns of damage to the main bridge structure itself presented a more complex problem in that, the correlation between chloride ion contamination, other recorded defects and, levels of damage were not entirely consistent throughout the structure. This meant that, whilst the marine environment itself was a consistent factor in providing an answer to the origin of the chloride contamination, the effects of that contamination were found to be entirely inconsistent; this resulted in a measure of uncertainty in relation to the immediate development of the most appropriate, permanent solution to the various problems that were found to exist.
In line with the strategic approach to repair and maintenance of structures taken by the Client, it was decided that more information was required in relation to the state of corrosion in the structure over time and, based on the assumption that some form of electro-chemical remedial solution may be required, trials of different systems to establish the most efficacious method of providing long-term protection. To examine the state of corrosion, a permanent monitoring system using linear polarisation resistance probes together with a series of embedded half cells and a permanent low voltage power supply was designed and installed and, using that equipment, information will be gathered over time to enable valued engineering judgements to be made.
With regard to the type of electro-chemical system that may, over time, be shown to be necessary, various factors were taken into account in selecting the most likely potential systems. These factors were predominantly associated with the construction of the bridge itself, the nature of damage and its’ causes and, the environment – the ability of the system to be flexible in extent of installation and future extension to meet varying environmental factors was also a serious consideration in the selection process.
The extensive concrete repairs together with the design and installation of electro-chemical works (Permanent Monitoring and Cathodic Protection trials) were carried out Quadriga Concepts Limited who were working in close association with both the Client
and framework contractor, Daniel Contractors (UK) Ltd.
For further information please contact Quadriga:
Terry Davies, Quadriga, Gadbrook
House, Gadbrook Park, Rudheath,
Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7RG
Tel: 01606 330888
Fax: 01606 330777
Email: TDavies@quadrigaltd.com
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