Let us start at the very beginning: What’s the background of this project?
Berbecaru: The sewer rehabilitation in Bucharest involves a number of stages and locations. In April 2016, TAHAL and Bucharest City signed a contract for the implementation of different works. These include a shotcrete rehabilitation section, the sealing of joints, a microtunneling installation of a new collector, and the rehabilitation through GRP relining over a length of almost five kilometers. For this last section, TAHAL initially had a different pipe supplier in mind, but in the end we totally convinced them of the benefits of Amiblu GRP: The established brand and quality, best quality-price ratio, availability of our full knowhow and experience, and the flexibility with which we were able to adapt the pace of deliveries to their needs. The supply contract was signed in November 2016. The first order for half of the project was supplied in December 2017, the second in September 2018, and a 3rd and 4th order followed.
Which preparatory work was done by Amiblu?
Berbecaru: Our experts team performed several tests and FEM calculations, created reports and procedures, in order to perfectly customize the non-circular profiles to the existing channel’s varying diameters and conditions. The pipes’ wall thickness, for example, was defined and calculated according to the project load using the 3R2014 and ISO 16611 method. The NC product offers an equal or even greater equal vertical deformation resistance compared to a SN 10,000 circular pipe of the same height.
How were the pipes transported to the construction sites?
Berbecaru: The pipes were delivered to the different locations right in the heart of Bucharest on smaller trucks which were equipped with cranes. This way we could optimally adapt to the narrow streets and heavy traffic as well as the restricted possibilities for unloading and storing the pipes on site. Our Amiblu project teams are perfectly at ease with such challenging logistics and site conditions since many trenchless projects are realized in urban areas.
That’s certainly a huge benefit! So, the pipes were then inserted into the old channel?
Berbecaru: Exactly. Both the NC profiles and circular pipes were lowered into the old brick sewer through a shaft with a crane or forklift and then either moved horizontally by a trolley or pulled with a steel rope by a crane from the opposite side. The single pipe segments of the same dimension were joined through bell-and-spigot joints with elastomeric gaskets with the support of the working staff, who helped to perfectly adjust the position of the profiles. Differently shaped sections were connected via manholes, after centering and fixing the pipes by means of spacers of different materials. Depending on the weight, position, and dimension of the pipes, the necessary force of connection was provided either by forklift, hoist, or manual tools. The new pipes were then fixed inside the aged channel with an innovative method of welding bolts and nuts into each pipe, on minimum four and maximum eight points, which results in a strong fixation between old and new pipe.