UCC was contracted to perform inspections on the raw water intake structures at a facility on the Great Lakes. Upon inspection it was found that 75% of the structure cap and support members underneath the cap had clasped over the winter.
UCC was further contracted to perform repairs to the structure starting with the removal of the damaged areas while final repair drawings were being developed. The work began by cutting the material using underwater cutting torches (BROCO) and a variety of pneumatic and hydraulic grinders.
After repair drawings were issued, UCC ordered the necessary materials per engineering requirements via a fabrication company that completed the fabricating prior to being loaded and shipped to the work location. Once on site, UCC divers would rig and crane into place each piece per the drawings. When field modifications needed to be performed UCC would describe those modifications to the engineers who developed changes. The field modifications were done by qualified UCC personnel on site to alleviate any delays. All work was completed using UCC procedure qualified underwater and top side welders. Six (6) certified underwater welders were required for the project using AWS D3.6 and D1.1 all position groove welds with certified underwater welding electrode. In addition, UCC provided two (2) certified level II underwater welding QC personnel to perform inspections and document the work being performed while the project was progressing. UCC’s welding and QC programs were reviewed and accepted by the customer. The project was completed under budget and with zero safety incidents.