Some of our design work includes:
Our specialized equipment can install drilled shafts from 6” up to 6’ for all marine applications:
We can also supply access trestles and platforms and barges to suite your marine drilling project needs.
Construction Drilling will place reinforcing steel for piling and drilled shafts on your project. We can provide custom-engineered lift and placement plans that are specific to your needs.
Construction Drilling has successfully tremie-poured thousands of drilled shafts and piles. Tremie concrete placement uses a pipe through which concrete is placed below water.
Construction Drilling performs consolidation pre-grouting for our large-diameter drilled shafts and annular grouting of large-diameter piling and vessels in-ground.
This allows us to install up to 600’ of work bridge to access and supply any of your construction needs. Our work bridge is capable of supporting a 250 ton crane, service trucks, highway trucks, construction equipment and any of our drilling equipment. We can custom-build configurations to suit all of your access needs.
We have successfully installed our work platforms & bridges in remote locations, some accessible only by rail or barge. We can drill in the foundations for our work platforms into any geological formation anywhere in North America or the world.
We can assist you with any construction-access challenges your project may pose.
Secant piles are concrete cast-in-place drilled shafts installed so that they overlap to form a continuous wall. The installation sequence starts with drilling and pouring every other shaft: these are called the “primary shafts.” Once the concrete is set in the primary shafts, the drill returns to drill and pour the “secondary shafts.” An interlock is created between the primary and secondary shafts as the secondary shafts are drilled and poured, creating an impervious wall.
Secant pile walls make it possible to advance through man-made and natural obstructions (such as reinforced concrete, bedrock, cobbles, boulders, and dense soil), while avoiding any risk to settlement that could damage adjacent structures.
Secant pile walls and coffer dams can be poured with soft or hard concrete. They can be permanent and incorporated into the permanent
structure as walls and foundations, e.g. the foundations, shear walls and underground parking of large buildings.
Soldier pile walls are mostly used for temporary excavations. The walls are built by installing vertical steel piles (usually H piles) at regular intervals (6’ to 8’ centers) along the retention wall line. The piles are installed from the original grade before excavation. Excavation is usually dug in 4’ lifts from the top down. As the excavation is advanced, lagging is inserted behind the front pile flanges. Lagging can be wood beams, steel or pre-cast panels or shotcrete. The lagging resists the load of the retained soil and transfers that load to the soldier piles.
Sheet pile walls are used as an earth retention system in soils that allow driving from the surface to a termination depth. They do not work well in soil conditions with boulders or large obstructions. Sheet piles are pre-fabricated steel sheet sections with interlocking edges. As the sheets are installed, they form a continuous barrier in the ground. The sheets are typically driven with vibratory hammers or drop hammers.
Sheet piles can be arranged into geometric shapes to form cofferdams, allowing permanent in-ground construction to take place, such as a pier foundation in the middle of a river. Sheet pile retaining walls and cofferdams are usually restrained with steel bracing, soldier piles, anchors and deadmen.
Interlocking O-pile walls are a relatively new retention system. They are made up of interlocking steel pipes with welded interlocking connections that thread into one another. They can be drilled in any ground condition utilizing a down-hole hammer. Their application is the same as for sheet piles but with the added benefit of being able to advance through challenging geotechnical formations (e.g. soil with boulders or other obstructions), and the ability to be founded into bedrock.
Our experience with passive walls has involved the replacement of permeable reaction treatment walls installed across the flow path of contaminated materials sites. These walls allow for the water portion of the contaminants to passively move through the wall while preventing the movement of contaminants.
Construction Drilling specializes in technical hard rock drilling solutions. We pride ourselves on finding solutions to install drilled shafts in all types of rock formations. With over 100 years of combined experience and an extensive equipment inventory, we have utilized the following hard rock drilling equipment and techniques:
Construction Drilling’s extensive auger and equipment fleet includes restricted-access rigs (for access to difficult sites), as well as large-diameter high-torque rigs for very deep and very hard drilling conditions. Our modern auger fleet ranges from specialized low-headroom drill rigs, such as the LoDrill, to adaptable European hydraulic drilling rigs. These drill rigs are accompanied by an extensive tooling inventory consisting of augers, buckets, turners, and core barrels ranging from 10” to 10’. These rigs are used to drill open shafts or clean out installed casing.
At times, given access constraints, hammer grab and spherical grab shaft excavation is more economical and efficient: e.g. in cases where a crane is the only piece of equipment with the reach to access the shaft location. In marine applications, we often find that splice lengths are too long for a drill to enter the casing.
Construction Drilling has a large inventory of grabs ranging from 30” to 10’, along with the churns, chisels and rock breakers to ensure installation and excavation are successful.
Casing is required when ground conditions are unstable and drilled holes cannot safely be drilled open. Casing can be permanent, but when drilling in soil it is typically temporary. Construction Drilling utilizes casing oscillators and rotators capable of installing casing from 6” to 6.5’. Oscillators and rotators can be used to install casing when vibration and noise are a concern, and vibratory and impact hammers can be used when these are not a concern.
The use of casing is a proven method to install drilled shafts in soil-caving conditions such as gravels, loose sands, soils, cobbles, boulders and water-saturated media. Construction Drilling has successfully cored through boulders over 6’ in diameter during shaft excavations. Using oscillators and rotators in combination with down-hole hammers, augers and grabs is a sure method of shaft installation in any soil or rock condition. This removes risk and allows Construction Drilling to supply a high-quality product on schedule.
Then the right type of explosive must be chosen. This is a vital decision and depends on a few key considerations, such as:
Broadly speaking, there are two types of explosives that are used in an underwater blasting project: nitroglycerine-based explosives (NG) and ammonium nitrate-based explosives (AN).
Regardless of the project and the explosive used for blasting, undertaking such a project requires the utmost care and safety. You want to work with experienced professionals who understand what needs to be done to ensure the underwater blasting is done efficiently and safely—with respect to both the workers and the environment.
Western Grater is the leading rock blasting contractor servicing Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Our blasting team are experts in rock fragmentation and utilize industry-best practices combined with decades of local experience and techniques.
Western Grater’s blasting operations encompass a large scope, but we specifically pride ourselves on being the primary underwater blasting contractor on Vancouver Island.
Underwater blasting requires exacting controls, environmental stewardship, and reliable equipment and practices to maintain schedule. Western Grater has perfected these skills over multiple decades and projects in our local waters. With 35+ years of underwater blasting experience, Western Grater has the skills and expertise to make your next project a success.
The process of slope stabilization is using techniques and tools to resist the pull of gravity and reinforce the slope. This is done through mechanical, structural, and geotechnical methods. There are a number of different techniques that can be used in slope stabilization. Which technique is best for any given slope depends on a number of factors, including:
Some potential solutions include installing structural supports (prestressed anchors, rock bolts, shotcrete, etc.), removing unstable debris, and/or adding a layer of protecting, which could include building ditches, installing mesh, or adding catch fences to the area.
Western Grater provides a variety of slope stabilization consulting and installation services. We have the local experience, resources, equipment and expertise to safely and efficiently complete the most challenging slope stabilization projects British Columbia can offer.
Our team is highly proficient with slope stabilization techniques in a wide range of conditions including:
Contact us for more information about our slope stabilization services and to find out how we can make your next project a success.
With structural shotcrete, the concrete is applied through a high velocity hose onto the target surface. The impact of the concrete against the target surface creates an excellent bond. Unlike conventional concrete applications, shotcrete can easily be applied to any surface. It also offers higher tensile strength and better thermal efficiency compared to traditional concrete applications. For those reasons, shotcrete is the preferred method in situations where the application needs to be applied to overhead structures and curved surfaces. Another benefit of structural shotcrete is its low shrinkage. Moisture content and chemical changes causes fewer contractions in shotcrete than in traditional concrete, which means there are fewer cracks and other complications to deal with.
To summarize, structural shotcrete systems offer low shrinkage, high tensile and better thermal efficiency. It’s stronger, more durable and less costly than traditional concrete placement, while having the added benefit of being easily applied to oddly shaped surfaces. For those reasons, structural shotcrete is often applicable in both residential and commercial settings.
Western Grater has ACI Certified nozzlemen that will install structural shotcrete in place of conventional cast-in-place formed concrete. We can install and finish structural shotcrete faster than traditional forms of concrete placement saving both time and money. Combined with our geotechnical installations, we can place shotcrete and tie-back anchors to support the excavation as it continues to grade and then install structural shotcrete for the parking structure backup to street level all with the same crew.
Our team of experienced nozzlemen can complete the application, vertical finishing and clean up all overspray to accelerate project schedules and maximize efficiencies for below street level construction works.
In many situations, shotcrete outperforms traditional concrete placement. It has high tensile strength, better thermal efficiency and can be applied to almost any surface. And because it requires less formwork than conventional concrete, applications of shotcrete can be completed much quicker than when traditional methods are used.
We offer shoring installation services as well as consultation and critical analysis for projects requiring shoring systems that provide cost-effective and schedule-oriented solutions. Our management team is well versed in efficient methods of project execution and our field team includes experienced welders, drillers, fabricators and ACI certified shotcrete nozzlemen.
We offer a variety of shotcrete shoring systems, including:
Our services and partnerships deliver all your shoring project requirements:
We have the resources and person-power required for prompt completion of challenging shoring projects. A culture of safety, determination, adaptability and systematic problem-solving techniques underlines our history of success with shoring system installations. Contact us to find out how we’ll leverage our experience with shoring against difficult conditions such as clay, soil, unstable rock, gravel, till and running sand to make your next project a success.