Valdez Floating Container Terminal, an open cell concrete floating structure, has been in service for over 40 years in a salt-water environment. Two floats, with outside dimensions of 30' deep x 100' wide x 350' long were towed from Tacoma, Washington to Valdez, Alaska and joined rigidly at the jobsite to attain the 700' overall platform length. The use of a concrete hull eliminates the need for intermittent service removal.
In addition to performance for service conditions, the structure had to be analyzed for wet tow from Tacoma across the Pacific Ocean to Valdez. This project was also designed and constructed on an emergency basis with a 10-month total duration. This expediency was required when poor soil conditions forced the owner to pivot from a fixed pier to a floating pier solution.
700 precast pieces were cast in the producer’s upland facility, integrated together in Concrete Technology Corporation’s graving dock with CIP closures, and post-tensioned together. In addition to service loads, post-tensioning provided a clamping force across precast components for watertightness. The use of standardized wall and deck panels greatly increased quality and efficiency. |