Concrete Reduction in Water Tank in Oxfordshire

Scope of Works

We were tasked by our customer to remove an average of 50mm of concrete from the surface of a circular sloped water tank. The scope of the works were to expose the reinforcement mesh beneath the concrete so that a new finish could be overlaid and be incorporated into the existing reinforcement.

The project was at Witney Water Treatments Works and the programme was limited as the tank had to be handed back to Thames Water ASAP. The area that required the initial remedial works was tank one comprising of 225m2.

What We Did

Given the complexity of the works we considered two options; traditional strip cut and break or rotary drum planing, we decided to go with the latter. The rationale not to elect the saw cutting was it had the potential to cut the reinforcement which would compromise the integrity of the structure. Once the works commenced it soon become apparent that the depth of the concrete was far greater than the 50mm, it ranged between 100mm and 145mm making the task far more challenging. However like most specialist tasks over the years we have become accustomed to expect the unexpected so with some quick thinking, extra resources and tooling the team pulled together to deliver the tank back to our client ready for remedial works to take place in good time.

The machinery and tooling utilised was a Brokk 170 robot with a drum planer attachment and a Husqvarna 95. The Husqvarna was used in conjunction with a hand held diamond cutter so the edges of the slab could be cut and carefully removed from the outer tank walls where the drum planer was unable to reach.

The work was completed efficiently and to the client’s satisfaction, showcasing Castle & Pryor’s expertise in delivering tailored solutions for complex concrete challenges.