Case study
Portland Pile Gates
Bespoke pile gates and jack-up-barge interfacing cantilevers for a new deep-water berth in Portland Harbour.
Supporting Red7Marine, we designed two bespoke pile gates and JUB interfacing cantilevers for the construction of a new deep-water berth – operational in April 2023 – at Portland Harbour. The development provides a new berth with a deeper, extended berthing pocket and approach channel to allow larger vessels to use the port.
Red7Marine required a multi-function pile-gate design to aid the installation of a 400 m king-and-sheet-pile combi-wall structure. Two bespoke piling gates incorporating a number of novel features were designed by our engineers to minimise crane lifts and maximise safety and productivity, installing multiple piles within tolerance.
Design included
- A twin-level structure to restrain the pile at two separate levels
- A means of mechanically adjusting the top-of-king-pile plan position and adjusting about the vertical z-axis of the pile gate
- A common-design gate to mechanically and structurally interface with JUBs
- Separate cantilever shelf supports
- A dummy pile stub to mimic the reference pile
- The capacity to install three further king piles without moving the gate or the JUB
- A means within the gate assembly to relatively orientate clutches
- The capacity to allow a hydraulic hammer to pass clearly down through the gate
- Operator-interface controls; manufacturing, fabrication, transport and logistics support