A transportation department had found some timber piles under a bridge that had suffered compression damage. In some cases, the piles were completely holed through and the pile provided no support at all. Reinforcement was required to keep the pile from completely breaking in two pieces.

A special application of Aquawrap^® was chosen to strengthen and reinforce the pile. First, our BP-4 Primer/Coating was applied to fill in small cracks and voids. BP-4 can be applied in dry and wet conditions and cures in about 2 hours. Large voids were left open in preparation for grout injection. Next, Aquawrap^® was installed around the pile, covering all damaged areas, above and below the water line. The composite was allowed to set up, about 2 hours, and then the injection process began.

Starting at the bottom, small holes were drilled into the composite every 12". A high compressive strength epoxy grout was then injected into the column to provide a solid structure. Air and water were pushed out of the voids as the epoxy was injected from the bottom up. This continued until the column was full. The injection process was closely monitored for heat buildup from the epoxy reaction. If too much epoxy was injected at once, the exotherm could cause shrinkage and damage to the repair.

The entire project took less than one day. This type of repair allowed the agency to keep the road open and traffic flowing. Replacing the pile would have required road closures and very long detours. 

Aquawrap^® is the simplest, most cost-effective repair you can find.

Damaged Timber Pile

Bridge Supports

First Layer of Epoxy Coating 

Aquawrap^® Installation