New MC3000 rolled out

Magpie Drilling has continued its expansion with a further MC3000 added to the drilling rig fleet. Following the increase in customer demand for deeper, larger diameter wells, with temporary and permanent steel casings, the need for increased power, higher torque, and superior depth capabilities are paramount.

The new machine has an extra rod in the carousel enabling it to drill 60m without any crew member ever having to handle a drill rod. A new design for the self extruding barrel has increased the power in which the pusher plate operates making the extrusion process faster and more efficient. More …

Retaining Wall System Combining Sheet Piling and Geogrid Reinforcements Now Available from Northstar Vinyl Products, LLC and Tensar International

The new AquaTerra™ system combines sheet piling and geogrid reinforcements, offering considerable benefits to slope stabilization, marine and levee repair projects.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) December 2, 2007 - Northstar Vinyl Products, LLC (http://www.northstarvinyl.com/) and Tensar International recently unveiled the AquaTerra Retaining Wall System, a proprietary new concept that allows sheet piling and geogrid materials to be combined for the first time.

“AquaTerra is a solution for many complicated situations,” says Jeff Moreau, President of Northstar Vinyl Products, LLC. “AquaTerra is an excellent option when rock and hard soils present challenges, because in most cases, the sheet piles only need to be placed in a two foot deep trench. The system is also an excellent choice when piping and global stability issues are present because the sheet pile can be driven to a specified depth and then attached to the reinforcement system.”

Until now, there was not a connection for a ’sheet pile-to-grid’ system.  
As communities continue to expand, land once considered unusable because of steep grades is now being improved with the use of retaining wall systems. AquaTerra is already having a dramatic effect on how retaining walls are designed and installed. Retaining walls once reserved for steel sheet piling are now being designed with light gauge vinyl or composite sheet piling supplied by Northstar.

Upland retaining walls are currently comprised of two components: a fascia system and a soil reinforcement system. Fascia systems are typically masonry block or pre-cast concrete panel systems. Soil reinforcements are either a geogrid or geotextile material. Using a variety of methods, fascia systems are connected to the soil reinforcement. The purpose of the geogrid is to diffuse the soil load that would otherwise act on the fascia by causing the soil to “stack vertically” as opposed to stacking at its angle of repose. Once the retaining wall is built, there is little soil load against the fascia.

“For years, engineers have known that if they had a method to connect geogrid or geotextile to a sheet pile, the same benefits would apply, and shorter, lighter gauge sheet pile could be used in most retaining wall applications,” Moreau says. “Until now, there was not a connection for a ’sheet pile-to-grid’ system.”
AquaTerra also provides significant benefits to engineers designing tied back sheet pile walls. With AquaTerra, walls once reserved for steel, composite or heavy-gauge vinyl sheet piling can now be built with shorter sections of lightweight vinyl sheet piling. In addition, AquaTerra has no metal components, which is a huge plus in saltwater applications.

The versatility of the AquaTerra system lends itself particularly well to flood control and levee structures. The Modular Levee System is composed of two parallel sheet pile walls supported by layers of geogrid in the core. The geogrid mitigates the soil loading in the sheet piling and in many cases will allow the use of native soil in the core. The Modular Levee System by AquaTerra provides several key benefits:

• The footprint of the levee is dramatically reduced, solving many environmental and easement concerns.
• Lighter and shorter sheet pile sections reduce the cost of getting sheet pile material to remote sites;
• Lighter and shorter sheet pile sections don’t require the use of heavy machinery on an existing levee;
• Lighter and shorter sheet pile sections are less expensive that optional materials;
  The geogrid, in many cases, will allow the use of native fill in the core, saving the expense of trucking in non-native fill;
• Whatever the choice of fill, less of it is required; and,
• The AquaTerra Modular Levee System can be installed in less time than conventional designs.

BlogMaster: System looks useful: but is it available outside the US?