Underground Infrastructure - May 2023 - 35

Rehab Technology
from start to finish, including environmental
restoration.
" One of the challenges was there was
a considerable amount of soil and debris
in the culvert, approximately 4.6 feet
deep, which needed to be removed and
the culvert cleaned prior to the coating, "
Waldron said. " That was probably the
largest hurdle in the job, but other than
that, the project went pretty smoothly. "
Aqua Tech Solutions handled the
cleaning. As a large construction company,
it had the equipment necessary to do
it efficiently.
Once the culvert interior was ready,
the Nukote PP300 and ST-M products
were sprayed on robotically rather than
manually - a system developed throughout
the past decade.
" What you've got is an A and B component
- and they don't cure, " explained
Osborne. " There's no evaporation, like
with paint; there are no solvents that
drive the evaporation, they're 100-percent
solids. And they come through the
machine behind this robot that takes it
to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and mixes it in
a gun at the tip of this robot, and then it
cures in, in this case, four seconds. We're
applying and driving over it. "
The robotic application system is very
functional for two reasons. First, it's more
cost-effective, decreasing the amount of
time the contractor must spend on the
project. Second, it reduces consumption,
meaning less material, less crew days, and
less health and safety issues. For safety
reasons, clients prefer not to have manpower
inside a pipe underneath a roadway,
Osborne emphasized.
Because the Nukote polyurea hardens
so quickly, it can be an efficient alternative
to a spray-on concrete product,
which generally takes about two days to
harden, Waldron explained.
An inch of PP300, or about 25 millimeters,
along with 2 millimeters of STM,
was applied, according to the project
profile. The York Region had concerns
of the liner thickness impacting flow
through the culvert, but calculations indicated
the liner's smooth surface would
lead to a 5-percent increase in flow.
Also, no increase in the water level upstream
of the culvert is anticipated under
regional storm conditions.
" This culvert is a secondary culvert,
so there's a primary culvert, which the
main waterway flows through, " Waldron
said. " This culvert is at a higher elevation,
so when the water rises in a high-water
event, it carries the excess water, so
it doesn't have a blind stream flowing
through it constantly. "
Looking ahead
The design life for Nukote products is
typically 50 to 75 years, depending on
the client's needs. The King Road culvert
lining solution should last for 50 years
and is warranted for 25.
Karli Logan praised Nukote's involvement
as a manufacturer.
" Nukote is there throughout the entire
process, and I think that's important, "
she said. " You're putting together a
long-term, 50- to 75-year lifespan design
and you want to make sure it's done correctly.
Nukote really excels in that area. "
Nukote is already working to launch
a new robotic system that can put down
twice as much product 10 times as fast as
the system in use, which is limited to 3
feet per minute with a 60-milliliter tank.
" What that's going to do is translate
to clients a lower cost for each project
so they can do more within the budget
they have. We want to deliver what [the
client] pays for, " said Osborne.
For York Region, it was a positive experience.
" As
a region, I think we would consider
the product for other culverts as they
show that it can be done efficiently and
they have the proper equipment to do
it, " said Waldron. " As a lot of our culvert
infrastructure is aging, it's an applicable
solution. "
The area is growing rapidly, and the
York Region is one of the largest populated.
" The region tends to be more proactive
when it comes to our roads and
infrastructure, " he added. UI
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Nukote Coating Systems, (832) 770-7100,
nukoteglobal.com
UndergroundInfrastructure.com | MAY 2023 35
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Underground Infrastructure - May 2023

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