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Al Shawaf Jacobs 2015 The Basingstoke Canal Aqueduct
Al Shawaf Jacobs 2015 The Basingstoke Canal Aqueduct
Al Shawaf Jacobs 2015 The Basingstoke Canal Aqueduct
Engrs,
Civ. Engng, 1998,
126, Feb., 19-30
S. Al-Shawaf, BSc, MSc, DIC, MICE, MIStructE, and P. Jacobs, CEng, MICE Paper 11354
The new A331 Blackwater Valley Route dual car- At the location of the Blackwater Valley Route,
riageway on the Surrey–Hampshire border runs the canal is carried on a 6 m high embankment.
from the A30 at Camberley by way of junction 4 of The River Blackwater passed through the canal
the M3 to the A31 near the Hog’s Back at embankment by way of a brick-arched culvert.
Farnham. The final, centre section links the The surrounding areas were formerly gravel pits,
A3011 at Farnborough in the north to the A323 at now converted to prime fishing lakes.
Aldershot in the south (Fig. 1) and runs alongside
the River Blackwater. Structural arrangement
Midway along the centre section the new road The alternatives for the canal crossing were to
crosses the Basingstoke Canal (Fig. 2). Built in the go either under or over the canal. A scheme with
1790s, the Basingstoke Canal is approximately 50 an 11 m high embankment, safeguarding the orig-
km long. It runs from Basingstoke to the River Wey inal canal, had a severe environmental impact. A
navigation at Byfleet and then on to the River lower embankment was also considered. This
Thames at Weybridge. It was restored during the meant lowering the level of the canal by 7 m
1970s as a leisure venue by the present owners, the using locks. Such a solution did not appear to be
Hampshire and Surrey county councils, with consid- convenient to canal users.
erable help from the Canal Society voluntary group. Taking the road in an open tunnel beneath the
It is managed by the Basingstoke Canal Authority, canal avoided extra demolition of properties. The
which is run jointly by the two county councils. route dipped below the lake areas in a watertight
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AL-SHAWAF AND
JACOBS
U-box underpass structure providing headroom Blackwater Valley long-distance footpath, enabling
for the new aqueduct carrying the canal (Fig. 3). pedestrians to walk under the structure. A mini-
As usage of the canal is light, a required navi- mum main span of 36 m was required to cross the
gable width at the aqueduct of 5·5 m was fixed for road below. It was necessary for the aqueduct to
the crossing of a single boat, avoiding simultane- cross the diverted River Blackwater to the west
ous crossing of boats in opposite directions. The and a run-off channel from the overflow weir and
normal width of the existing canal is 12 m. A 3 m drainage ditch to the east (Fig. 5).
wide pedestrian and maintenance vehicle access Symmetrical and asymmetrical solutions for the
is provided along both sides of the water channel aqueduct structure were presented to the client
(Fig. 4). This leads through ramps to the for consideration. Beam and trough designs were
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BASINGSTOKE CANAL
AQUEDUCT
considered in steel, reinforced concrete and bond- ward were for a symmetrical three-span arrange-
ed prestressing. Steel solutions suffered from ment and an asymmetrical cable-stayed structure.
maintenance and corrosion requirements, rein- The cable-stayed option (Fig. 6) was actively pur-
forced concrete would provide a cracked solution sued, but was opposed by various protest groups
and bonded prestressing was banned by the and finally abandoned. To avoid the deck project-
Department of Transport. A double-arch solution ing above the canal skyline, an externally post-
would provide a confused elevation when viewed tensioned structure was finally selected. This
from a skew, and also measures would have to be required two side cells to house the tendons. The
taken to deter climbers. cross-sections had a central trough channel with
The two main options which were carried for- outer webs curved in a barrel shape to reduce the
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AL-SHAWAF AND
JACOBS
Surrey
lock
Hampshire
lock
ir
Permanent we
Aqueduct
ir
Temporary we
A331 Blackwater
Valley Route
0 m 50
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BASINGSTOKE CANAL
AQUEDUCT
Fig. 6. Cable-stayed
option
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AL-SHAWAF AND
JACOBS
A South Elevation
between the designs of bonded, external and seven-wire monostrands 15·7 mm in diameter,
reinforced concrete members. with one tendon being straight and the others
undulating. Each monostrand is greased and
Equivalent horizontal and vertical loads at devia- enclosed in a 2 mm thick polythene sheath. The
tors and anchorages, representing the prestressing tendons are housed in an 8 mm thick high-density
forces, were applied to two- and three-dimensional polyethylene (HDPE) tube with a 160 mm exter-
frame models used in a global analysis of the deck. nal diameter. The HDPE tube is grouted with
A value of 0·12 was used for the coefficient of fric- petrolatum wax to provide a triple-envelope corro-
tion.1 Unintentional angular displacements were sion protection (Fig. 9).
neglected. Creep losses were estimated conserva-
tively, as in the case of a bonded tendon. Anchorages and deviators
The longitudinal prestressing in each cell con- Solid diaphragms, 1370 mm thick, each house
sists of four external tendons each having 31 four anchorage assemblies and form the front
face of the prestressing chambers (Fig. 10).
The design prestressing force was the tendon
breaking load of 8220 kN per anchorage. The dis-
persion of this force from the anchorage plate
through the diaphragm was carried out using
strut-and-tie (SAT) models (Fig. 11). The models
related to 2
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BASINGSTOKE CANAL
AQUEDUCT
trude beyond the concrete faces. At each end the 160mm external dia. Fig. 9. Tendon cross-
steel tubes have a 2 m bell mouth radius (Fig. 10). of HDPE duct section
The deviators are 1300 mm wide and are located
adjacent to the webs (Fig. 13). A SAT model was
used to analyse the deviators and determine the
dispersion of the concentrated prestressing forces
into the flanges and adjacent webs.
31 No
The rib-type deviator utilizes the development 15.7mm dia.
Wax infill
of a compression strut on the inside of the individually
grouped mono
curved section of the deviated tendon and car- strands
ries the force throughout the face of the deviator
to the top flange. The deviator reinforcement
9.1mm thick HDPE duct
comprises small, rectangular confinement loops
around each steel tube and an outer closed stir-
rup which encloses the deviator ribs by extend-
ing into and anchoring in the flanges and webs
(Fig. 14). The width of the deviator is governed
by the minimum radius of 5 m to which the ten- Fig. 10. Anchorage
don can be bent.1 block and guide tube
Safety aspects
The design of the aqueduct was completed
before the Construction (Design and Management)
(CDM) Regulations became law. Notwithstanding 3-D representation of anchorage force distribution Vertical section
this, good practice and quality procedures dictated
that safety issues in construction and subsequent
maintenance should be identified and addressed.
The buildability of the structure was reasonably
straightforward and did not present any high-risk
activities other than the normal ones associated
with temporary works and prestressing. The ques-
tion of temporary works was dealt with by specify-
ing that the contractor should self-certify its tem-
Horizontal section
porary works design and erection. It was also a
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AL-SHAWAF AND
JACOBS
Cable 3
Cable 2
Cable 1
1
Section 2-2
(only Cable 2 shown)
Arrangement of cables
is symmetrical about
1 centreline of deck
2 2
1
Section through Section through Section through Section through
Fig. 13 (below). deviator No. 1 deviators Nos. 2 & 3 deviator No. 4 deviators Nos. 5 & 6
(over pier)
Deviator tubes
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BASINGSTOKE CANAL
AQUEDUCT
Fig. 14.
Reinforcement around
deviator tubes
requirement that the contractor submitted a fully Fig. 15. Inside stress-
detailed method statement for the post-tensioning ing chamber, showing
for approval by the engineer’s representative. space available for
The maintenance considerations were mainly replacing tendons
the need to provide safe access for inspection and
for carrying out maintenance work. To cater for
this, access manholes with fixed ladders were
provided in the stressing chambers and a lighting
system was specified for the two side chambers
housing the stressing cables. There was also a
requirement to draft a maintenance manual
spelling out all the work activities required and
the safety methods to be employed.
In the construction phase, which also predated
the CDM Regulations, the contractor was required
under the terms of its own quality procedures to
carry out risk assessments on all work activities,
followed by production of method statements. The
main safety issues were the management of a safe
work area with the site haul road passing through
the middle, working over a river, the prestressing
operation and working in confined spaces.
Waterproofing/protective system
To protect the concrete section against the
effects of water and to guard against accidental
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AL-SHAWAF AND
JACOBS
Fig. 16. Movement 150mmx10mm thick 30mm ± 30mm gap on east abutment
joint stainless steel inner plate 10mm ± 10mm gap on west abutment
with square edge
60mm ± 30mm gap on east abutment
40mm ± 10mm gap on west abutment
10mm thick stainless steel
5mm thick waterproofing membrane cover plates fixed to clamping
with 300mm c/c elongation capability plates using 10mm dia. stainless steel
(debonded for full gap between cover countersunk head screws at 300mm c/c
plates indicated by open block pattern)
10mm thick stainless steel
inner plate with 5x15mm chamfer
5mm waterproofing
membrane extend 150mm 150mm 25mm thick stainless steel
to side of joint overlap overlap clamping plate 73.400m OD
Movement joint
The movement joint on an aqueduct serves an
even more important role than on a conventional
bridge because it has to be 100 % watertight. In
order to achieve this, a system of stainless steel
Fig. 17. damage by boats, a thicker and stronger than usual clamping plates securing a neoprene rubber seal,
Reinforcement in (5 mm) polyurethane waterproofing system was continuous across the full section of the structure,
diaphragm walls sprayed on the sides and invert of the trough and was developed, based on an idea from a similar
around cable anchor- over the footpath areas. The material was sprayed structure (Fig. 16). This in turn was protected by
ages on in multiple passes and checked for impermeabil- additional, overlapping stainless steel plates.
ity with an 11 000 V spark test, which can detect a Sprayed polyurethane waterproofing systems
small pinhole. It also had the advantage of being above and below the joint form additional defence.
easily cleaned during maintenance, using water jet-
ting as opposed to mechanical means. Construction
Clay dams were installed at the east and west
Ancillar y structures ends beyond the stop gates, the canal was drained
To control the maximum water level in the down, fish were removed by the National Rivers
canal and at the same time provide a facility for Authority and construction work started.
rapid drawdown of water in the canal, an overflow Some 35 000 m3 of existing canal embankment
facility was provided, consisting of a reinforced was excavated using 360° excavators and dump
concrete trough with brick weir copings, dis- trucks over a period of two weeks. The material
charging down the face of the embankment by proved to be very loose, wet and difficult to handle.
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BASINGSTOKE CANAL
AQUEDUCT
All bored piles for the main structures were 20 nearly three weeks to fix the reinforcement in the
m long and constructed using 12 m temporary first diaphragm panel, but thereafter the work
casings and bentonite as ground support. Sheet accelerated as lessons were learned. Similarly, the
piling to retain ground in front of the pier pile caps deviator walls carrying the cable deviator pipes
was installed using the latest silent reaction-piling were heavily reinforced but the remainder of the
technique. Bored piles for the stop gates had to be deck was fairly straightforward.
formed by light shell-and-auger techniques owing Trial shutters were set up and construction was
to the dubious stability of the existing embank- carried out with trial mixes to investigate the Fig. 18 (below).
ment, which militated against the use of heavy pil- effects of the addition of microsilica and of casting Completed aqueduct
ing plant. In order to minimize damage to the pile the board-marked finish, and to determine the structure
cap formation, two concrete platforms with cut- maximum aggregate size that could be used. It was
outs for pile bores were constructed. decided to opt for a maximum aggregate size of 10 Fig. 19 (bottom).
The contractor had steel shutters fabricated to mm owing to the congestion of reinforcement at As-built programme
form the four fluted V-shaped piers, partly for
quality and partly to enable external vibration of
concrete around the heavily reinforced crotch
sections. The piers were cast onto the bearings
with restraints released and the piers supported
by temporary concrete walls during construction.
The deck falsework was supported on a conven-
tional sleeper-and-concrete foundation on top of
gravel capping and limestone sub-base. The antici-
pated movement of the structure in the construction
phase was calculated to be less than 10 mm and this
was absorbed within the tolerances of the propri-
etary support system. While this was being erected,
the barrel-shaped formwork for the sides was pre-
fabricated in the workshop and then erected on site
and faced up with 75 mm wide sawn boarding.
Initial fixing of reinforcement followed and was
concentrated at the diaphragm walls at the west
abutment. Owing to the very large jacking loads
(6000 kN), it was necessary to have multiple rows
of large-diameter reinforcement (Fig. 17). It took
1994 1995
Section of works September October November December January February March April May June July August
Aqueduct
weir
Canal pre structure
work
Aqueduct
structure
Canal bank
landscaping
Stabilize north west
embankment
Section completion
Stabilize north east date achieved
embankment 30 June1995
Construct Hampshire
lock
Construct Surrey
lock
Stabilize south west Official
embankment
opening
Renew canal 29/30
lining material July 1995
Reshape
embankment
Upgrade existing
footpath
Canal post
structure work
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AL-SHAWAF AND
JACOBS
Structure Tender figure: £ Out-turn cost: £ petrolatum wax compound was used to fill the
voids between the cables and the HDPE duct, with
Aqueduct and stop gates 1 421 416 2 352 902
additives included to ensure displacement of sur-
Aqueduct weir 133 563 212 339 face dampness. With vents placed along the length
Total 1 554 979 2 565 241 of the ducts the wax could then be injected so that
it completely filled the void, excluding air, water
and condensation and thus inhibiting corrosion.
Client Surrey County Council Injection hoses were connected to the inlet on
Engineer Surrey County Council Engineering Consultancy Division
the anchorage cap. The wax was then heated to
80°C and pumped continuously into the duct until
Checking engineer Gifford and Partners
it issued freely from the vents and exit anchorage.
Main contractor Alfred McAlpine Civil Engineering The vents were sealed after consistently clean
Post-tensioning subcontractor PSC Freyssinet wax had been collected from each outlet. The
cables protruding from the anchor blocks were
Piling subcontractor Taylor Woodrow Foundation Engineering
then sealed off with extended metal caps protect-
ed by galvanizing and painting. The cost of the
Table 1 (top). wax system was approximately twice that of
Out-turn costs the deviators and the anchorage diaphragm. cement grouting, but was a small percentage of
Owing to the complexity of the shape of the deck, the overall prestressing works.
Table 2 (above). the contractor split the works into 18 pours. The structure was complex by virtue of its
Principal participants The concrete mix comprised the standard C50 shape, detailing and stressing requirements. It
mix modified to take account of the 10 mm aggre- had to be constructed to a tight time schedule,
gate in lieu of 20 mm, with microsilica additive mostly through the winter period. This required
and superplasticizer to assist flow. The microsilica good teamwork between the contractor, the resi-
tended to give the concrete a flash set, making it dent engineer and the canal authority. It is to
difficult to produce a smooth float finish, and it everyone’s credit that the canal reopened on time
was therefore essential to work and float the fin- and without a drop of water spilt (Fig. 18).
ish at the right time. Average strengths were
60·41 N/mm2 at 28 days and 42·5 N/mm2 at 7 As-built programme and out-turn cost
days. The works were completed within the sectional
As the prestressing cables leave the diaphragms completion time (9 months) and Fig. 19 shows the
and pass through the first deviator, two of the as-built programme compared to the planned pro-
cables deviate in both horizontal and vertical gramme. In order to complete on time the contrac-
directions, which called for careful setting out. tor had to supplement its plant and labour
This was achieved by laying the deviator tube on resources. There were some major variations
a horizontal surface to establish the plane of cur- instructed, including a much more complex stop
vature and marking this on the tube. The tube gate system on piled foundations, sheet piling to the
was centred using vertical marks on the shutter toe of the existing embankment and the require-
and then rotated to the calculated angle of rota- ment to deal with a significant slip plane on the
tion using a large protractor on the end of the south-west embankment. The original idea was that
tube. The tubes were then checked by pulling the weir would be constructed in advance of the
string lines from one deviator block to another to canal closure but owing to the late start of the con-
ensure a smooth alignment for the HDPE ducts tract this was not possible. The effect of these varia-
without sharp changes of direction. tions was also a degree of delay and disruption.
The HDPE ducts had a pressure rating of 6 bar Table 1 shows the out-turn costs compared to
and consisted of sections 5 m long, which were the tender figures. The overspend was due to the
jointed using electrofusion couplers and butt above-mentioned variations, including settlement
welding on site. of a delay and disruption claim.
Once the HDPE ducts had been installed and
the cables pulled through, tensioning started at Acknowledgements
the east diaphragm. The cables were stressed The authors wish to thank Tony Harmsworth,
symmetrically to minimize eccentric forces. The waterways manager of the Basingstoke Canal
jacking of the eight cables was then repeated at Authority, for his advice and cooperation, and
the west diaphragm. The total extensions reached Philip Lane for the photographs. The principal
a maximum of 11 % greater than had been calcu- participants in the project are listed in Table 2.
lated using a coefficient of friction of 0·12 and fric-
tion losses were found to be minimal for all References
Please post/fax/e-mail cables. The strands protruding from the anchor 1. Design of Concrete Structures. 1993. Eurocode 2:
your discussion contri- block were cut to the required length, allowing Parts 1–5: The use of unbonded and external pre-
bution (up to 500 sufficient length for destressing. stressing tendons.
2. WOLLMAN G. P. Anchorage Zones in Post-tensioned
words) to the editor by Compressed air was passed through the ducts to
Concrete Structures. PhD thesis, University of Texas,
15 June 1998. check for any leakage through the welded joints. A Austin, 1992.
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