We are proud to report we have successfully carried out the abrasive waterjet cutting of the piles of two platforms.
It was quite a challenge as we performed the cutting work for the first time with our newly developed internal pile cutting tool along with our latest 4.000 bar pump and using a new in-house developed cutting sensor to monitor the quality of the cut.
The project involved a series of eight piles with a diameter of 54” (1,37 m) and a wall thickness of about 65 mm. The piles were successfully cut over 3 metres below the seabed from inside out.
The quality of the cut was of the utmost importance and we had to avoid bridges in the cut. Therefore, we decided in agreement with the client to cut very slowly. The cutting sensor measured a piercing time of about 30 seconds at almost every pile. The cut itself was performed in less than 2 hours during which we cut about 10° overlap.
The piles had been driven through mud mats. It was crucial that we could pull them out of the soil along with the cut piles. The sleeve of the mud mat was about 70 mm thick. There was a grout layer of 50 mm thick between the pile wall and the mud mat. To cut the lifting holes, we had to go through a sandwich layer of 180 mm. To perform this successfully, we had developed and built a customised machine. Piercing the starting hole took 2 to 5 minutes and the hoisting hole was cut in just under an hour.
Enjoy the photos of this very special project.
