Heavy-Duty Industrial Concrete Yard: 70-Tonne Load Bearing Solution
A heavy-duty industrial concrete yard project in Tamworth for a plant machinery dealer. Tilsley Groundworks remediated the waste-filled ground and installed a steel-reinforced concrete slab engineered to withstand the weight of 70-tonne crushers and screens.
A heavy-duty industrial concrete yard project in Tamworth for a plant machinery dealer. Tilsley Groundworks remediated the waste-filled ground and installed a steel-reinforced concrete slab engineered to withstand the weight of 70-tonne crushers and screens.
Engineering for Heavy Industry
Executive Summary
For industrial clients dealing in heavy plant machinery, the integrity of the ground surface is not just a matter of aesthetics; it is a critical operational safety requirement. In 2019, Tilsley Groundworks was approached by a specialist plant dealer in Tamworth. Their business revolves around the sale and repair of massive crushing and screening equipment, some of which weigh in excess of seventy tonnes. Tracking these machines on unmade or weak ground poses severe safety risks, including the potential for machinery to sink or topple. The client’s existing yard area was effectively unusable, comprised of soft ground filled with legacy industrial rubbish and spoil. They required a contractor who could not only lay concrete but could also remediate the ground to a standard that would guarantee the long-term structural stability of the slab. Tilsley Groundworks was selected for our ability to manage the entire process in-house, from the initial bulk excavation of the waste to the final power-float finish of the reinforced concrete.
A Turnkey Civil Engineering Package
The tilsley Solution
The project required a "Zero Tolerance" approach to ground preparation. Pouring concrete over rubbish is a recipe for failure, especially when the live loads are so high. Our solution began with a comprehensive site clearance strategy. Because we own our fleet of excavators and heavy haulage vehicles, we did not need to wait for third-party skip companies. We mobilised immediately to dig out the contaminated ground to a sound formation level.
Once the "muck away" phase was complete, we imported certified crushed stone to build up the levels. The solution was not just about thickness but about compaction. We utilised heavy vibrating rollers to ensure the sub-base was rock solid before any concrete was ordered. This is the Tilsley difference: we control the quality of the layers you cannot see, ensuring the layer you can see lasts for decades.
Reinforcement and Concrete Specification
Technical Implementation
The technical success of this project relied on the specification of the materials and the precision of the installation.
Phase 1: Excavation and Formation
Using our Volvo excavators, we stripped the site down to the required reduced level, removing all organic matter and industrial debris. We then supplied and laid a deep bed of MOT Type 1 aggregate. This was graded and compacted in layers to form a non-compressible sub-base platform.
Phase 2: Shuttering and Steelwork
To define the pour bays, our joiners set rigid timber road form shuttering to the exact finished floor levels required for drainage. Given the seventy-tonne load requirement, standard mesh was insufficient. We supplied and installed heavy-duty structural steel reinforcement mesh (A393 grade), chaired off the ground to ensure it sat in the exact tensile zone of the slab.
Phase 3: The Pour
We supplied high-strength ready-mix concrete designed for industrial wear. This was placed and levelled by our skilled groundworkers. The mix design included specific additives to increase durability against the abrasion of tracking steel tracks. The result is a monolithic slab that transfers the immense weight of the crushers directly into the engineered sub-base without risk of cracking.
Operational Capacity Restored
The Results
The transformation of the Tamworth site was dramatic. What was once a waste-filled, unusable patch of land is now a high-specification industrial asset. The client can now safely manoeuvre, store, and repair their 70-tonne crushing and screening plant on a clean, level surface.
By choosing Tilsley Groundworks, the client avoided the headache of managing multiple subcontractors. We supplied the plant, the labour, the stone, the steel, and the concrete. The project was delivered on time and on budget, proving once again that for heavy-duty commercial groundworks in Staffordshire, Tilsley is the partner of choice.
