A restoration contractor refurbishing the canal and lock gates found a 3/8” x 40’ joint within the canal wall which needed to be sealed from infiltration of water.
Work commenced from within the trench and above the wall, where 3/8” holes were drilled into the canal wall. 80 holes were drilled in a staggered pattern atop the wall, holes were drilled every 12” straight down into the joint at a depth of 18”, and holes were drilled every 6” at a 60-degree angle to intersect the joint towards the face of the wall at a depth of 21”. 3/8” plastic packers were placed into the drilled holes and the 40’ joint was then pargeted with hydraulic cement to ensure the limited loss of injected material.
The injection process took place in 2 stages; the first stage of the injection began with the injection of epoxy into the holes which were spaced every 6” and drilled at a 60-degree angle towards the face of the canal wall, to ensure the limited loss of injected material. The epoxy cured sealing the joint towards the canal, and the hydraulic cement cured sealing the joint towards the trench, with the expectations of inclosing the epoxy for the second stage of injection. The second stage of injection then took place by injecting into the holes which were drilled every 12”, straight down into the joint at a depth of 18”. The joint was filled with epoxy, forming a rigid barrier, preventing the infiltration of water into the canal wall.
Chemical grout injection using epoxy resin (part A and B), 3/8” plastic packers, and a chemical grout pump were used to seal the joint in the canal wall. The application eliminated the possibility of future water infiltration into the canal wall.
