Cell-Crete Corporation

This project included two separate runs of 36” gas pipeline to be abandoned with cellular concrete. One of these was under SR-73 and the other through a field being turned into a residential development. The general contractor created bulkheads by welding plates with a threaded nipple to the ends of the pipe. This form of abandonment was advantageous by not interrupting the traffic to abandon the pipeline and by preventing any future collapse of the road if the pipeline failed.

Lightweight Cellular Concrete (LCC) has several advantages in this application. The second section of the pipeline was over 3000’. LCC has greater flowability and would be able to abandon the line from less injection locations than other flowable fill options. Near the middle of the 3000’ run was a steep ravine that the pipeline’s slope followed. Pumping LCC from one side of the ravine permitted a complete abandonment eliminating any voids and another staging area for the equipment.

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Class II Cellular concrete is being placed in up to 7’ lifts at basement walls that are over 30’ in height to reduce earth pressures. The placement of the fill occurs in 3 key locations throughout the structure. Cellular concrete is easily placed through a concrete hose to each location without the need to move our small batch plant from one location. The WP membrane is being installed after the material has been allowed to set for a min of 6 hours up the wall face and the lifts will continue until we are to 11’ below finish elevation, the remaining of the wall will be backfilled with fill for landscaping elements.

The City of Los Angeles Sanitation Bureau is constructing a new 54-inch diameter force main sewer to supplement the existing 48-inch diameter Venice force main sewer built in 1960. With the systems working together, sewage flow from the Venice Pump Plant can be conveyed to the Hyperion Treatment Plant in El Segundo using either or both force mains. The project objectives are to increase sewage capacity, create pipeline redundancy and allow for maintenance of the system. A micro-tunneling construction method is being used along most of the alignment to reduce construction impacts to the public.

Lightweight Cellular Concrete (LCC) or “cellular grout” is being used to accelerate the annular space backfill portion of the project. Cellular Grout flows easily to fill the annular space at low pressure to protect the pipes and minimizes the number of access points required.

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The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) Lake Perris Dam Bypass Pipeline is in a California Department of Water Resources (DWR) easement near Perris Dam. The DWR plans to build a new levee across the MWD pipeline as part of the Emergency Release Facility (ERF) Project.

Following MWD staff’s evaluation of pipeline protection options, it was determined that lining approximately 1,200 feet of the Lake Perris Bypass Pipeline with a steel liner is the most effective method to protect the pipeline. Cell-Crete backfilled the annular space around the existing MWD pipeline with Lightweight Cellular Grout (LCG).

The North County Transit District (NCTD) Mainline bridge 208.6 project required structural repairs to one end of an old bridge structure perpendicular to the San Onofre Creek while maintaining the mainline in service. In order to reduce the amount of shutdown time of the track Permeable Lightweight Cellular Concrete (PLCC) is being placed to transform the old bridge structure into an embankement 4’ below the track elevation. There will then be a brief closure of the track to remove the old timber trestle and timber span so the new ballast and tracks can be installed.

PLCC greatly reduced the closure period, and the open cell material was also used due its its proximity to the San Onofre Creek. The rebar shown in the picture will be the anchor for the shotcrete slope protection panel.

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Geofoam (EPS-19) at pool deck.

This project is on the third floor, directly above the parking structure. The design utilizes EPS-19 foam as a void filler for load reduction. The gaps in the foam are for concrete structural footings for the pool. The shotcrete will be poured over the geofoam. Telehandlers and cranes were used to lift the material to the pool deck then the foam was cut and placed in the pool.

The benefits of this design allowed for load reduction, secondary drainage, and insulation. Drain mat was placed under the geofoam to direct water to the secondary drain.

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The City of Los Angeles Sanitation Bureau is relining a reach of the North Outfall Sewer known as Unit 8. This extends the service-life of Unit 8 including the Enterprise Street double-barrel semi-elliptical siphon under the Los Angeles River and railroad tracks along the south side of the Interstate 10 bridge

Lightweight Cellular Concrete (LCC) or “cellular grout” is being used to accelerate the annular space backfill portion of the project. Cellular Grout flows easily to fill the annular space at low pressure at long distances to protect the pipes and minimizes the number of access points required.

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This project widened the I-15 on ramp over SR-13 in Brigham City, UT. The poor soil conditions and proximity to marshlands (Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge) required the embankment fill to be lightweight for load reduction. There is an active railroad along SR-13 that required daily coordination. Using LCC allowed us to limit, and in most cases, eliminated any crossing of the railroad tracks. It also reduced the site traffic and material laydown area.

The design was to pour steps at the embankment on both sides of SR-13. Then the LCC would be covered with two feet of backfill. One of the benefits of LCC is the distance we can pump the material. By coordinating with the general contractor and UDOT, we were able to run our hose on the overpass and not have to move the equipment to pour the opposite embankment. This also allowed us to avoid any interruptions or crossing the railroad.

The benefits of the using LCC also resulted in reduced site traffic. Using LCC made it much easier to secure materials when high winds came through the area.

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New improvements to a middle school in Lincoln Nebraska included an existing wall that would need to be backfilled 3’ above its original foundation potentially causing an excess of lateral pressure on the existing wall.

In order to reduce the increased pressure from the wall, 35 PCF lightweight cellular concrete was placed to an average depth of 3’-0”. 100Cy of material were easily pumped into place in an hour using a small towable pump using a “wet” mix method.

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A King County sewer line runs directly under a new proposed Soundtransit track embankment and was susceptible to the resulting load/settlement.

Lightweight Cellular Concrete, a low-density fill material in between MSE walls was chosen as the new embankment concept. This substantially reduced the fill loads on the sewer line creating a net zero load increase under the raised Soundtransit track. The Lightweight Cellular Concrete design resolved the damage/settlement concerns for the existing King County sewer.

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