CASE STUDY

500+ Timber Piles Restored While the Dock Stayed Open

At the largest agricultural port in the U.S., timber piles under a concrete dock had an average of 50% section loss, and some were completely detached. PileMedic® restored them to original axial and bending capacity while the dock remained open.

PRODUCT: PILEMEDIC®
APPLICATION: TIMBER PILES
INDUSTRY: PORTS & MARINE

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Agricultural port dock supported by timber piles repaired with PileMedic

500+ timber piles exhibiting extreme deterioration

timber piles: 500+
pile diameter: 12 in.
average section loss: 50%
pile heights: 15 to 30 ft

Project Details

OWNER: Perdue AgriBusiness
LOCATION: Chesapeake, Virginia
STRUCTURE: Concrete and timber dock on 500+ timber piles
QUAKEWRAP® SYSTEM: PileMedic® jackets, PileMedic® spacers, six #4 GFRP rebar, underwater cementitious grout
INSTALLER: FRP Construction, LLC

PROJECT VIDEO

Timber Pile Restoration Under a Concrete Dock

Plays from YouTube

01 · THE CHALLENGE

Deteriorated Piles Under a Working Dock

The dock's 12-in. timber piles had an average of 50% section loss, and some piles were completely detached. Piles under the concrete cap could not be replaced with new driven piles, and pile heights ranged from 15 to 30 ft.

The goal was to restore every pile to its original axial and bending capacity while the dock stayed open, working around ship traffic and seasonal shutdown requirements.

Deteriorated timber piles under the agricultural port dock in Chesapeake, Virginia, before repair

02 · THE SOLUTION

PileMedic® Jackets With a Fast Rebar Cage

The repair used the PileMedic® pile restoration system. Six #4 GFRP rebar were held in place with the PileMedic® spacer system for quick assembly, and underwater cementitious grout filled the 1.5-in. annulus between pile and jacket.

To simplify installation, a single design was developed that could be applied to many different pile conditions. Cross bracing was removed from the timber sections to allow wrapping, then reattached through the pile reinforcement.