Page 11 - W M Donald Newsletter - Edition Nine

A new concrete yard for Wm Nicol takes advantage of K-Form formwork
William Nicol Ltd provides secure bulk wet and dry storage facilities at its base in Portlethen. Products stored in over 100 silos include drilling mud and brewers’ malt. The company also offers bulk liquid and powder transport logistics as well as a variety of services including industrial tank cleaning.
A W M Donald customer for many years, Wm Nicol recently acquired land and warehousing on a plot adjacent to its current operations. To increase the functionality of the site, W M Donald was asked to construct a tank bund suitable for five 110,000-litre tanks and form a 2,400m2 concrete yard area on what had previously been a mixture of asphalt and stone hardstanding.
The geometry of the Wm Nicol site was complex due to the need to tie into a number of existing levels around the perimeter of the site and to ensure an adequate surface water run to achieve positive drainage to a Class 1 oil interceptor. The interceptor is essential to protect the sewer network from accidental spillages when decanting from the storage tanks or hydraulic failure of site plant and equipment. It also affords a degree of protection in the highly unlikely event that storage silos were to leak and overtop the bunds within which they are located.
K-Form screed rail system
To construct the concrete yard, W M Donald used the K-Form concrete formwork system. K-Form is a sacrificial screed rail system manufactured from recycled uPVC.
Extruded from 100% recycled materials, K-Form is supplied in 3000mm inverted T-sections. There are three different variants which facilitate slab thicknesses of between 50mm and 225mm. Secured on bedding mortar, the sections simply click together. The riser has pre-drilled holes that accept dowel bars and facilitate movement. The top of the screed rail can accommodate a razorback vibratory truss screed.
Compared to traditional steel and timber formwork, K-Form is quick to install. The sacrificial screed rails effectively act as expansion joints. K-Form also allows ‘bays’ to be poured in a traditional ‘hit and miss’ arrangement or adjoining bays simultaneously if required.
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