team of exceedances to instrumentation threshold values through
real-time email and test alerts. This leads to streamlined decisionmaking,
reduced risk and increased worker safety. This serves to
protect all associated parties including the owner, engineer, contractor,
abutting property owners, etc. It also serves to evaluate
and refine construction methods to be more effective which can
lead to significant cost savings.
One example where monitoring demonstrated all of the benefits
listed above was a bridge replacement project in Connecticut. The
project involved reconstructing the bridge abutments with new
sheet piles and replacing the bridge superstructure. This work was
being performed in close proximity to critical utility infrastructure,
which was very sensitive to both vibration and deformation. As a
result, the sheet piles were required to be installed using the silent
push system. Unfortunately, ground conditions were not favorable,
and schedule was critical.
As an alternative, a variable moment hammer was proposed. As
a part of the changed means and methods, an automated monitoring
system was implemented to monitor the utility infrastructure
initially as a test program and then through project completion.
The real-time monitoring system included an automated robotic
total station and reflective prisms, automated tiltmeters and
automated vibration monitoring units. The system was effective
in demonstrating that the variable moment hammer could be
operated within close proximity without any harmful effects to the
existing utility structure. This provided significant cost savings to
the project team and facilitated faster project completion.
GZA has decades of experience designing and installing turnkey
monitoring solutions for any application. Each project is
different, and therefore will require different tools to effectively
complete the task. Our focus is finding the most cost-efficient
monitoring solution while simultaneously providing superior data
and visualization tools to allow the project team to make the
most informed decisions. Some of the instrument types we automate
and remotely monitor regularly include Automated robotic
total stations, seismographs, inclinometers, piezometers, extensometers,
strain gages, load cells, displacement transducers, tiltmeters,
etc. By automating these instruments and eliminating
costly labor associated with onsite data collection and processing,
these systems have become more capable and cost-efficient than
ever before. t
TIM KUECwKEwN w.shorelinesteel.com
Sales Cell: (586) 615-8753
Interlocking Steel Sheet Piling
Fully Melted and Manufactured in the USA
57760 Main St., Suite 2 • New Haven, MI 48048
(800) 522-9550 • (586) 749-9559 • Fax (586) 749-
6653
TIM KUECKEN
New Haven, Michigan
Phone: 586.749.9559
Fax: 586.749.6653
Email: timk.shorelinesteel@gmail.com
TOM WILLEY
Paducah, Kentucky
Phone: 270.444.0088
Fax: 270.441.0055
Email: tomwilley@shorelinesteel.com
www.shorelinesteel.com
ENGINEERING AFFILIATE MEMBER
Photo: GZA
62 | ISSUE 2 2020 www.piledrivers.org
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