Member Article

Jones Bros workers in marathon concrete pours

FiConstruction crews from leading civil engineering firm Jones Bros poured concrete for 12 hours straight to lay foundations for a new building at a global aerospace manufacturing company.

The pour, at Electroimpact in Broughton, near Chester, began at 5am, finishing at 5pm and was the second of two 12-hour continual pours this month required to lay the foundations for a new structure at the site.

The engineering feat involved a fleet of 20 wagons delivering 100m3 of concrete every hour, each wagon holding 6m3. A total of 16 wagons an hour were pulling up and pouring concrete.

Electroimpact specialises in the design and assembly of precision tooling and automation equipment for the aircraft industry. The concrete for its new building must be strong and stable enough to hold large aircraft assembly equipment.

The building, measuring 67 metres by 26 metres, required 1,800m3 of concrete across the two pours, supplied by the Breedon Group.

The surface was powerfloated, which gives the concrete a hard wearing finish suitable for heavy usage, by Wrexham Concrete Designs.

Hefin Lloyd-Davies, regional manager for Jones Bros Civil Engineering in North Wales, said: “We have been down at the site at Manor Lane for weeks now preparing for the laying of the foundations.

“Working with the Breedon Group we have tested the strength of the concrete to ensure it can withstand the weight of the machinery that will stand on it.

“The concrete also need to be sturdy enough to have heavy machinery bolted securely to it and we are casting bolts into the foundations as part of the process.

“Construction of the new building will begin in January and we will be on site until then.”

Jones Bros engineers and operatives faced a similar challenge recently when developing infrastructure for a 54-turbine wind farm in Scotland.

After discovering two geological faults when they began excavating earth for foundations at SSE’s Clyde 2 wind farm, construction workers organised a 12-hour concrete pour as part of the construction of two huge foundations. – each one measuring 24 metres in diameter – the length of four badminton courts and five metres deep.

Founded in the 1950s, the family firm has grown significantly in the last decade, employing approximately 350 people. Its areas of expertise include the construction of waste management facilities, highways, flood and marine defence and renewable energy projects

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wJ2dtJW0vA

Find out more at http://www.jones-bros.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .