This is basically an ad for a concrete services company, but involves the construction of a new railroad bridge in Kentucky.
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PADUCAH & LOUISVILLE RAILWAY DEEP DRILLING RAILROAD BRIDGE
West Point, Kentucky
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| Old and New Bridges Side-By-Side |
Both bridges span a gorge and historical stage coach trail connecting Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee. The old bridge was originally designed out of wood but was destroyed by fire during the Civil War. The rebuilt bridge was constructed of metal in 1890 and will remain intact preserving its historical significance.
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| Core Drilling |
A new bridge was being constructed by Haydon Bridge Company, Inc. of Springfield, Kentucky to replace the old metal bridge structure. A testing company sent sonar waves through the sides of a bridge pier and found an issue at the 42 foot mark. A sample of this material was needed from the bottom 2-3 feet of concrete which interfaced with limestone.
Ohio Concrete Sawing & Drilling, Inc. - Dayton Division was contacted by Craig Myers from Hayes Drilling, Inc. in Georgetown, Kentucky to core drill a 3 inch diameter hole a total of 45 feet into the bridge pier and continue on into hard limestone. We were able to drill this depth by using segments of tubing with threaded barrels attached to a threaded diamond-tipped core bit to extend the length of the core until we reached the required 45 feet.
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| Removing the 45 Foot Core Bit and the Encased Core |
The first day of drilling produced a 24 foot core. The second day of drilling produced a 20 foot core. At the end of the second day of drilling, the crane pulled the whole 45 feet of core bit and the final 20 feet of core from the hole all at once.
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| Examination of the core |
Craig Myers retrieved the last 2 feet of core at the bottom of the pier. Through thorough analysis, the core checked out. The previous bad reading was an anomaly.
The actual drilling time to the 44 foot mark, minus any down time, was 7 hours. The schedule was important because a photographer from a structural engineering firm flew in to photograph the caisson and had to catch a flight to another project the next morning.
Please visit our website at www.ohioconcrete.com or call us today and allow us to solve your concrete cutting and drilling needs on your next special project.