CASE STUDY

U.S. Coast Guard Tongue Point Steel Sheet Pile Bulkhead Repair

The U.S. Coast Guard selected the SPiRe® FRP panel system over traditional replacement as a long-term way to stop corrosion of a commercial-level steel sheet pile bulkhead at its Tongue Point facility in Astoria, Oregon.

PRODUCT: SPIRE®
APPLICATION: BULKHEAD
INDUSTRY: PORTS & MARINE

GET A SEAWALL REPAIR CONSULTATION ALL PROJECTS

SPiRe FRP panels on the steel sheet pile bulkhead at the U.S. Coast Guard facility in Astoria, Oregon, nearly 8 years after the repair

420 sq ft of SPiRe® FRP panels installed

of bulkhead protected: ~42 ft
SPiRe® panels installed: 420 sq ft
average panel height: 10 ft
flat FRP panels: 1/4 in.

Project Details

CLIENT: U.S. Coast Guard
OWNER: Tongue Point Facility
LOCATION: Astoria, Oregon
STRUCTURE: Steel sheet pile bulkhead, approximately 42 ft
QUAKEWRAP® SYSTEM: SPiRe® (Sheet Pile Repair) FRP panel system
PANELS: Flat, 1/4 in. thick FRP panels, 10 ft average height, shop cut as directed by the contractor
FILL: Underwater epoxy grout reinforced with glass FRP rebar
FABRICATION: QuakeWrap facility, Tucson, Arizona, shipped to Astoria

PROJECT VIDEO

Sheet Pile Wall Corrosion Protection With SPiRe®

Plays from YouTube

01 · THE CHALLENGE

A Corroding Bulkhead at a Working Coast Guard Base

The U.S. Coast Guard needed a long-term repair to prevent corrosion of a commercial-level steel sheet pile bulkhead at its Tongue Point facility in Astoria, Oregon.

The repair covered about 42 ft of bulkhead, with site conditions that varied along the wall. SPiRe® was compared with traditional replacement systems before it was selected.

Corroded steel sheet pile bulkhead at the U.S. Coast Guard Tongue Point facility before repair, with people standing on the deck above

02 · THE SOLUTION

Custom SPiRe® Panels Made in Tucson

SPiRe® was selected on overall project price, ease of installation, technical support from QuakeWrap and QuakeWrap's ability to customize the panels to the client's requirements.

Flat, 1/4 in. FRP panels were made at the QuakeWrap facility in Tucson, Arizona, shop cut to the lengths the contractor needed for the varying site conditions, and shipped to Astoria. They were anchored in front of the corroded sheet piles and filled with underwater epoxy grout reinforced with glass FRP rebar.

Custom-length SPiRe® panels coordinated with the contractor
Stainless steel anchors, washers and nuts with loose spacers for field installation
QuakeBond™ epoxy for sealed panel overlaps
QuakeBond™ epoxy grout for the annular space
Installation, operations and maintenance manuals

Two workers in safety vests installing gray SPiRe panels in front of the corroded sheet piles at Tongue Point, with a ladder against the wall

03 · THE RESULT

Still Performing Nearly 8 Years Later

About 420 sq ft of SPiRe® panels now face the bulkhead. At the customer's request, a black epoxy was applied over the panels when the repair was complete. QuakeWrap's project video notes the panels were installed with minimal interruption and without cofferdams.

A photo of the bulkhead taken nearly 8 years after the repairs were completed shows the system still performing well.