Anchorbond – the word is our bond
Leeds Railway Station has been described as a ‘gateway to the north’ by Network Rail and in 2014 the station enjoyed a £17.3m transformation to create a new entrance to the south. The entrance is a fully-accessible, enclosed pedestrian extension over the River Aire. There is a widened footbridge which includes customer information screens, ticket vending machines, CCTV, and cycle storage facilities, and the footbridge leads to a new ticket gate line above platforms 16 and 17.
Supporting Leeds Railway Station, literally
As part of this project, the main contractor had to strengthen a series of double barrelled arches underneath the station, to accommodate the extra weight of the new extension.
As Peter Cox has considerable experience working on rail schemes across the country, we were asked to look at carrying out the work using our AnchorBond masonry anchors. The anchors use the Cintec system, an
effective and economical method of structural reinforcement which can be tailored to meet specific building strengthening and repair requirements. The anchor is comprised of a stainless steel bar surrounded by a woven polyester fabric mesh sleeve into which a specially formulated cementitious grout is injected under pressure. The flexible sleeve expands and moulds itself into the spaces within the wall, providing a strong mechanical and chemical bond when cured. Various attachments can be welded to the anchor head.
Roy Higginson BSc, structural surveyor for Peter Cox said: “The contractor is aware of our skills in this field and so asked us to supply, drill and install 134 structural anchors underneath Leeds station.”
Keeping on track
The Peter Cox AnchorBond Division inserted vertical stainless steel dowels into the existing sandstone piers and added anchor connections in to the Central Piers. We angle fixed arch beam anchor points and added additional struts into the arches to spread the loads into adjacent piers.
Roy adds: “The electrification of the railways means our skills in this field are in great demand. We have extensive knowledge of major project work which many smaller contractors do not and we are also part of the Achilles Link-up system. Our clients include Costain, Balfour Beatty, Network Rail, Story and Lundy Projects and this particular project was completed in four weeks, on time and on budget.”
