Corestruc is a leading designer, manufacturer and builder of pre-cast concrete structures in South Africa and neighboring countries whose precast-concrete reservoir systems have been in a high demand in the region, due to their uniqueness technology wise, as the country’s municipalities and water authorities prioritize South Africa’ growing water infrastructure backlog.
Recently Corestruc built two 10Ml reservoirs in Mpumalanga and it is now preparing to manufacture another two precast-concrete reservoirs of the same capacity, and awaits to be appointed to work on another 25 Ml reservoir.
The principal contractor on the later project will undertake the earthworks, as well as construct the reservoir floor, pipeline and inlet works while Corestruc, as the specialist sub-contractor, will be tasked with the swift manufacture and installation of the wall and roof of the structure.
Corestruc’s constructs two 10 Ml reservoirs in six weeks only using its sophisticated precast-concrete system.
Corestruc’s delivered their last two 10Ml projects in only six weeks’ time, owing to its sophisticated precast-concrete technology.
Willie de Jager, the managing director of Corestruc, says that it would have taken four to six months to only construct the reservoir walls using conventional in-situ techniques, and this is without the risk of having to redo the work, considering the technically-complex nature of these construction projects.
“Reservoirs are notoriously complicated and time-consuming structures to build. The construction of the wall demands absolute precision to ensure water-tightness. This slow and meticulous process is followed by the construction of the roof, which entails erecting and installing tons of scaffolding and formwork inside the structure. On most of these projects, work can only take place at one or two faces at any given point in time. Our modular system enables the construction of the floor, walls and roof simultaneously to deliver the infrastructure in a fraction of the time it would using conventional in-situ methods,” said the M.D.
Corestruc’s reservoirs building process
The process begins with the manufacture of reservoir roof system off-site at the company’s state-of-the-art factory while the main contractors complete the ground work and footings of the structure. The company’s reservoir roof system can be accelerated and programmed to specific site conditions.
Corestruc’s technical team then installed a column-fixing assembly onto the blinding and the chief contractors fix their reinforcing for the footing before it is cast. The columns are lifted and placed on top of the ring beam using a mobile crane and can immediately support the pre-cast beams.
Afterwards, Nuts are connected to the plum, and the tolerance gap between the footing and the columns filled with a non-shrink grout.
Beams are then installed onto a bearing pad on top of the columns and connected with a dowel that protrudes from the pre-cast column. The beams are tightened with a nut and washer to the column and the dowels also grouted with non-shrink grout. Installation of the hollow-core slabs then commence, followed by the fixing of tie steel into the slab core and the protruding stirrups by the main contractor.
Tian de Jager, technical director of Corestruc, says they invested a lot of time to come up with such a system. “It took us more than 5 years to perfect the design of the system since its conception. We undertook extensive research into numerous leading international precast-concrete reservoir wall technologies available on the market. This extensive learning and best practice was refined and modified for the unique African environment and thus the introduction of such an amazing, time, and resource saving system.”
