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Versatile Plastic Pilings Are On The Up Down Under
01 Feb 2002
Plastic Pilings Inc, the American manufacturer of marine piles and timber made of recycled plastic, has had a significant entry to the UK market via the Portsmouth Naval Base, where fender piles, wales and vertical fender planking have been selected by the Royal Navy to replace damaged hardwood fenders.
Plastic Pilings has now demonstrated the versatility of their products with an installation in Perth, Western Australia, where government authorities and design engineers have selected steel core plastic piling for the new Barrak Square Ferry Terminal on the Swan River.
The project utilised 66 plastic piles, Fentek's rubber fender elements and several models of SCN cone fenders. Pile stiffness equalled 1.03E+04kNm 2and the pile movement at yield equaled 2.10E+02kNm. Plastic Pilings provided the client with a plastic fendering system that formed an integrated fender unit which included a hard-wearing, non-abrasive, marine-resistant composite plastic piling.
Fentek's rubber elements provided the energy absorption necessary for berthing vessels.
As the main ferry terminal in the centre of Perth, the aesthetics of the completed project were of utmost concern to the client. The recycled plastic products are both attractive and not subject to the usual wooden pile problems of splitting, corrosion or marine borers. Minimal maintenance requirements are an additional advantage.
The owner of Barrak Square Ferry Terminal took a long-term view with regard to materials selection and rejected less expensive alternatives which did not meet specification.
MJ Information No: 16703
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