Geraldton Wharf Berth – Midwest Port Authority

Adding Life to Concrete – How MARKHAM waterproofed an existing concrete structure in an extreme environment, to enhance its durability and maintain its service life of the Geraldton Wharf Berth.

OBJECTIVE

Geraldton’s sea port is an important service centre for the region’s mining and agriculture. From a concrete perspective, the conditions are extreme; besides being a marine environment under heavy traffic, ambient temperatures fluctuate across a steep scale, with extreme highs over 40°C not uncommon in Summer.

The deck at Midwest Port Authority Geraldton Wharf Berth 4 has been an important part of the port’s infrastructure since it was poured in 1954. Due to years of wear and tear, the deck had deteriorated and needed replacement. However, the replacement process was not as simple as removing the old deck and pouring a new one. The team had to consider several factors, such as the impact of the new deck on larger ship loaders and the overall service life of the deck.

SOLUTION

The MARKHAM team worked with the maintenance contractor Marine and Civil Maintenance, following the specifications of engineers Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec. AQURON 7000 concrete hydrogel treatment was applied to the Geraldton Wharf Berth. The intention was to seal the concrete porosity against further contamination, arrest existing deterioration, and effectively waterproof the deck.

In this instance, the results were extensively tested for waterproofing (impermeability) after treatment, using the Germann Water-Penetration Test (GWT) by Germann Instruments. The tests were supervised by an MCM appointed Site Engineer. The deck was tested directly, and core samples were taken from the soffit.

After careful consideration, the team decided to pressure blast the old deck and apply AQURON 7000 concrete treatment that has been proven to extend the service life of concrete structures by 15 years and more. This not only ensured that the deck would last for many more years, but it also allowed for an upgrade in the size of ship loaders that could be accommodated by the wharf.

Current system name for this treatment: CIVIL-TECT.

RESULTS

The AQURON 7000 system was proven successful by the testing to meeting the demand of the Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec specifications by:

• Reducing in-place concrete permeability by MORE THAN 50%
• Providing a ready-to-use concrete durability solution
• Providing an environmentally friendly solution to increase concrete service life
• Providing quality control and a service life warranty