Stoneham, MA
MWRA, Spot Pond
Scope/Solutions
SGH developed an emergency repair for a 48 in. dia. prestressed concrete cylinder pipeline penetrating the concrete core of the Spot Pond Dam. The pipe was cracked at the penetration point due to ground movement at a nearby bend in the pipeline.
SGH developed emergency repairs to reduce the risk of pipeline burst and stop leakage during a very short window of pipeline down time. We then designed a permanent repair for the pipe going through the dam core. Highlights of our work on this project include the following:
- Inspected the pipe at its interface with the shore face of a wall
- Performed finite element soil-structure interaction analyses of the pipeline, which indicated that the pipe leakage was caused by differential movement of the pipe and thrust block
- Designed external and internal emergency repairs, including immediate installation of circumferential post-tensioning tendons to strengthen the pipe and prevent pipe rupture under pressure along with installation of a continuous inner seal system to stop the leak
- Designed a permanent repair with a specially designed closure piece that would allow pipe movement relative to the wall
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Project Summary
1998
Completion Date
Solutions
Failure Investigation | Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures | Advanced Analysis
Markets
Infrastructure & Transportation
Client(s)
Massachusetts Water Resource Authority
Specialized Capabilities
Repair & Strengthening | Buried Infrastructure
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
MBTA Bus Repair Garage
The building includes three garage bays, offices, and locker facilities for the bus operators and repair staff. When an elevated concrete floor slab in one of the bays failed under the weight of a bus wheel, the MBTA retained SGH to investigate.
Northeast
Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, Walnut Hill Treatment Plant, Cosgrove Intake Pipeline
SGH provided emergency response and evaluated the risk of failure resulting from the leak, inspected the pipeline to determine the cause of the leak, and developed a repair scheme.