Projects
Rail Network Renewal Assessment
The project comprised the desktop study, site investigation and design of remedial solutions for a 50km section of Pilbara railway to rectify defects which impact operation of the railway.
Assessment and design of treatments for the transition between the embankment and bridge results to manage vertical alignment loss, including development of an effective transition design which is now adopted by the wider industry across multiple operators.
Naturally Occurring Asbestos Assessment
Geotechnology WA undertook a review of encapsulation effectiveness for shotcrete and epoxy resin applied to rock cuttings with asbestos outcrops. The review resulted in development of a management plan for the areas so that the owner could monitor and control changes in the encapsulation effectiveness.
Plainline & Turnout Rail Renewal
Assessment of the rail formation, ballast and sleepers for Pilbara rail networks where turnouts and plainline track have reached the end of life and require renewal.
Our scope included the investigation of the ballast quality and formation condition, providing remedial designs for non-conforming formation and drainage improvements.
We provided site supervision for the construction of the renewal works during time constrained shuts. ​
Rail Formation Design
The input included assessment of railway formation designs where marginal ground conditions are present. Root cause analysis identified the key criteria which could lead to poor performance and allowed design of suitable treatments or improvements to provide a comparable service life to a ‘compliant’ formation design.
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Areas of particular success were for subgrades with high plasticity fines, marginally weak subgrade or Sub-Ballast Capping and development of a range of treatments and selection criteria.
Siding Upgrade
Independent Verification and MDR Review
GWA provided a dual role for this project, comprising:​
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Independent verification of the siding geotechnical design, including identifying improvement for the proposed construction phase to reduce risks. This led to input to specific methods to reduce risk during construction and optimising the geotechnical designers proposed works.
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Providing review of the contractor's Manufacturer's Data Report upon completion of the projects construction activities.
Slope Inspection Training Package
GWA developed a slope inspection guideline and a training package to allow consistent use of geotechnical terminology by inspectors. The slope inspection package was delivered to two groups of civil inspectors with theoretical and practical components.
Renewal Execution Support
GWA reviewed and optimised proposed geotechnical remediation works for a series of cuts in the natural landscape within the rail corridor (designed by another company), simplified the remedial works so they were constructable and provided geotechnical inspections and implementation support during a rail shut. The optimised remedial works allowed the cutting remediation to match the geotechnical conditions on site and the potential failure mechanisms, reducing the required works.
Specification Reviews
We provided technical review and content updates for the earthworks and civil specifications that are utilised company wide. The projects included interfacing with company stakeholders to understand how the updates will interact with their operations.