Slipforming a canal in Northern Turkey

Slipforming a canal in Northern Turkey

Water has always been a precious commodity in the Amasya Province of northern Turkey.

The region's famous Ferhat Water Canal was first carved into the mountains during the late Hellenistic Age and early Roman Period, about 2000 years ago, using the water balance system of closable tunnels vaulted walls that used the natural slope of the land to make the water flow to the ancient city of Amasya.

Water is still a precious commodity in northern Turkey and the modern city of Amasya, which is home to over 350000 people. The entire province is very agricultural and famous for its apple crops, although it also produces tobacco, peaches, cherries and okra.

The newest canal to be built in the region, however, uses more modern construction techniques.

Istanbul-based Basat Elektrik Uretim & Tic is using a Gomaco GP-2600 paver to slipform 3 km of new canal between Amasya and the neighbouring city of Tasova.

The new canal has a top width of 22,3 m, a bottom width of 6,7 m, and 9,3 m side slopes that are 150 mm thick. (The GP-2600 has the capability of paving canal profiles from 6 to 9,9 m wide.)

At the start of the project, over 2,5 million m3 of material had to be excavated to build the new canal. A fleet of crawler dozers and excavators worked on the project getting the canal to the proper profile before the GP-2600, which was equipped with a chain trimmer to trim down any high spots in the crushed-gravel grade, got to work.

The trimmer is capable of trimming up to 50 mm of fine grade material.

Concrete for the canal was produced by Basat's on-site mobile batching plant, with ready-mix trucks delivered the concrete to the paver. Slump averaged 50 mm.

The trucks discharged their loads into a concrete distribution system - an auger system with baffles that run along the slope of the canal - mounted to the front of the paver. An auger moves the concrete down the slope, while the baffles collect the concrete to keep it from sliding down to the bottom of the 1.5:1 slope of the canal wall.

Behind the paver, a transverse joint cutter and two longitudinal disk wheel cutters cut the joints. Each is spaced 3 m apart and the joint itself is 10 mm wide. Finishers stood on a work bridge mounted to the back of the paver and applied a trowel finish to the surface of the canal and around the joints. Paving production averaged around 170 m3/ hour.

Basat Elektrik has almost finished work on its portion of the new canal, however, the company plans on putting its new GP-2600 paver busy in the future on more canal work for the 28 different hydroelectric projects (HEP) currently underway in the country, with the work due to be carried out over the next five years throughout the country.