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How can you make the anchoring of a dike reinforcement project smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable? The Neder-Betuwe Dike Alliance and anchoring specialist High 5 Solutions joined forces to tackle this question. Previous experience with projects such as the Tiel-Waardenburg dike reinforcement served as an important foundation for this effort.
“The lessons learned from that project have been taken to an even higher level here,” says Timo Gijbels of High 5 Solutions. “Thanks to this approach, we are increasingly becoming a trusted partner that works with clients to find the smartest and most efficient way to carry out a project.”
High 5 Solutions has now gained extensive practical experience in anchoring sheet piles for dike reinforcement projects. Nevertheless, the current project is seen as a new step forward. Not only because of its scale—a stretch of over twenty kilometers with nearly 2,000 anchors—but especially because of the combination of emission-free operations, smart logistics, and the application of previously gained practical experience.
As an anchoring partner of the Neder-Betuwe Dike Alliance, High 5 Solutions contributed specialized expertise in the areas of work platforms, anchor seat structures, logistics, and project execution. Three key objectives were central to this effort: carrying out the anchoring work with as few emissions as possible, creating safe working conditions, and standardizing construction solutions as efficiently as possible to make outdoor operations as simple and efficient as possible.
The anchors are installed using large 55-metric-ton drilling rigs that can operate both on top of the dike (‘overhead’) and at the toe of the dike. These drilling rigs currently run on HVO100 fuel, while support equipment, such as the auxiliary crane and grout mixing system, is powered entirely by electricity using battery packs that are circulated within the project.
“Eventually, we’ll add a fully electric ‘overhead’ drilling rig to our fleet, and we’ll be able to carry out the entire range of anchoring work with zero emissions,” says Timo. “This machine is currently under construction and will enable emission-free sonic drilling on large-scale dike reinforcement projects.”
Significant progress has also been made in the area of ergonomics. “Thanks to smart planning, all anchors are custom-manufactured in advance and divided into segment lengths that can be processed entirely by machine,” says Timo. “As a result, our employees don’t have to move short anchor segments by hand. This improvement stems directly from experiences and discussions on previous projects.”
The same applies to the anchor seats and the holes in the sheet pile wall. These are standardized in such a way that the same fittings and detailed dimensions can be used everywhere. “This simplifies the process, increases production speed, and prevents errors during construction,” says Timo.
High 5 Solutions uses its patented sonic drilling technique to install the anchors. “By resonating at a high frequency, we can drill through hard soil layers more easily. This results in less resistance and requires less cement grout,” Timo explains. “In addition, the work site stays cleaner because virtually no grout flows back to ground level. This benefits everyone who has to work on the site after drilling, from welders and earthworkers to the teams that test the anchors.”
The first thirty anchors have now been successfully installed. A larger portion of the work will follow later this year, when hundreds of meters of sheet piling will be anchored. According to Timo, everyone at High 5 Solutions is looking forward to once again contributing to a leading dike reinforcement project. “The fact that the project’s goal of installing as many anchors as possible without emissions aligns perfectly with our own vision makes it even more rewarding, of course.”
“The excellent collaboration with Dijkalliantie Neder-Betuwe and the project suppliers for the anchor steel (TAB), the anchor seats (Ton van Leeuwen Snijwerken), and the cement-based grout mortars (Weber Beamix) ensures that we can work as one team and with great enjoyment.”
