Quay walls, Zuid-Willemsvaart

The 130-meter-long quay wall, used by companies along the Zuid-Willemsvaart for many, many years, has been inspected by Solid Services. That activity has become a thing of the past and the quay wall has lost its function. Various facilities that once belonged to these former companies, such as crane bases and other steelwork, remain on the quay wall.

There was evidence of various damage mechanisms, in the form of spalling concrete with exposed and corroded reinforcement, vertical cracking and mechanical damage. No defects were found below the waterline.

The investigation showed that penetration of carbon dioxide and moisture caused the reinforcement to corrode, resulting in spalling. The cracks were caused by concrete shrinkage at low temperatures, in combination with the long length of the quay wall.

Solid Services carried out the inspection using a floating pontoon, enabling access to the whole quay wall. The area below the waterline was visually inspected and mapped by a dive team. No damage was found below the waterline.

The concrete in these kinds of structures is often preserved well and damage free below the waterline. The section where the waterline fluctuates is the most critical as the concrete here is alternately exposed to water and air.