A civil engineering company repair a leaking concrete flood defence wall at a multimillion pound Scottish dam after an ineffective sealing compound washed out, leaving significant gaps not long after construction was completed.

Case Study Overview

Site Flood defence dam
Location Scotland
Repair Type Leak Repair
Products Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty

Defect

A multimillion pound flood defence project had been commissioned to protect three towns and the railway line connecting them in a Scottish valley at the confluence of three rivers.

The project involved the construction of a large earth storage dam, designed to retain water from the rivers when levels were high to reduce the risk of flooding the towns downstream.

Alongside the dam, concrete flood defence walls were built to protect the railway line, residential properties and industrial estates closest to the river. These walls were made up of concrete slabs sealed together by a grout compound.

Not long after the project was completed and floodwater began washing away the grout, leaving huge gaps and large-scale leaks in one section of wall.

SylWrap Solution

A civil engineering company were called in to inspect the problem. Having seen a previous case study where the Environment Agency sealed a large crack in a wall between a river and trout farm, they decided to use Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty to repair the wall.

45kg of AB Original was delivered to site in 200g sticks. Each stick was mixed by hand until it turned a uniform colour. Whilst soft, it was forced into the gaps between slabs. Once cured, it formed a rock-hard, watertight material much more effective than the original grout compound.

The two-hour work time of AB Original meant the engineers making the repair could take their time mixing and carefully applying the putty without the threat of premature curing.

With its underwater adhesion properties, AB Original easily bonded to the saturated concrete, as well as gaps in slabs making up a floor which was totally submerged by floodwater.

Outcome

Replacing the original grout compound with the superior adhesion and strength of AB Original improved the integrity of the flood defence wall, sealing all gaps and significantly reducing the chances of future leaks.

The alternative to repair with AB Original would have been a costly rebuild or reinforcement of the wall, only a few years after the expensive project had been completed.

Follow Up

Such a straightforward and cost-effective repair pleased the operators of the dam, who otherwise would have faced the potentially embarrassing situation of flood defence walls failing not long after installation.

AB Original is now playing a small part in protecting homes, businesses and transport infrastructure in the valley against flooding.

Products Used

AB Original Epoxy Putty
Super-strength epoxy putty effective on wet surfaces which seals gaps and cracks

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