Uretek Slab Lifting | Sinking pavement


Summary
Airport Infrastructure | Gimpo, South Korea | 2005
10,000m2 of concrete runway and taxiway at Gimpo, South Korea’s number 2 airport, suffered from varying degrees of subsidence, from 50mm to 160mm.
The subsidence meant that the surface design stormwater profiles were no longer effective. Ponding after rain created ice patches, which could cause aircraft to skid.
The project was completed with precision in 28 days by Uretek Slab Lifting bringing the surfaces back to level, and Uretek Deep Injection effecting re-support where required.


Objectives
Mainmark was required to fill the pipes without exceeding 300kPa pressure on the pipes during a 12-hour continuous placement and then cap the pipes on completion.
As the pipes could only be accessed through a single point, the project required a highly flowable fill material that would travel the length of the pipes to fill them completely.
Work was required to be completed in a tight project timeframe of three days, with minimal disruption to mine site operations.


Solution
The Australian team was flown in with all technical equipment and materials.
From multiple Operations Rigs, expanding, structural resins were injected beneath the slabs to restore the hydraulic contours in subsided sections. Uretek Deep Injection was used to strengthen the foundation ground.
Unlike concrete ‘mud-jacking’, which had been trialled previously unsuccessfully, the Uretek resins achieved near maximum strength almost instantly and thus allowed aircraft to operate on injected areas just 30 minutes later.
The airport slabs were rehabilitated with ponding on the runways and taxiways eliminated completely. The surface contours were restored precisely, enabling aircraft to operate in smooth, problem-free conditions.
This extensive project was completed in just 28 days without interruption to airport operations at any time.