Food Processing Facility

Location: Michigan

When: January – March 2009

Summary

This project was part of a high efficiency production line upgrade at a food manufacturing plant in South East Michigan. The production line upgrade required the basement foundation walls and bearing walls to be strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced Kevlar.

Engineers determined that the high humidity created by the factory’s operating conditions caused large amounts of water to build under the slab of the building. The water created hydrostatic pressure which caused the block walls throughout the building to bow and sheer slide off the foundation.

The solution was three-fold: To eliminate the water below the slab, Smith’s added interior drain systems which included industrial sump pumps. Water was diverted to an exterior drain system, which eliminated hydrostatic pressure that was causing walls to bow. Two crews were dedicated to applying waterproof coatings on interior walls and epoxy coatings on the floors. These coating systems were installed to protect the concrete floor and masonry walls from further damage and diverted accumulated water to drain systems.

Carbon fiber strapping was then applied to strengthen the block walls that had experienced sheer sliding. Engineers onsite also required carbon fiber reinforcement on basement walls to support the increased load that would result from the new high efficiency production line.

Masonry and tuck pointing repairs were made to various portions of block walls and concrete walls throughout the factory. After all repairs were made the walls were covered with a concrete texture coating to add a final layer of protection.

The factory remained in operation for the duration of the project. Maintaining strict food safety parameters was a crucial part of this project. Smith’s installed a waterproof and dustproof barrier to protect the production line in service.

Smith’s also used HEPA air scrubbers to eliminate dust to ensure the manufacturing process maintained 100% FDA compliance.

Humidity levels were measured and controlled during this project to keep the dew point within working limits of the epoxy and coating systems. This project had an expedited construction schedule and Smith’s Waterproofing was able to meet all of the deadlines given by the customer.

Highlights

• Factory remained open while all work was performed
• Interior drain systems and industrial sump pumps installed
• Carbon fiber structural reinforcement
• Masonry repairs to foundation and walls
• Maintained FDA air quality standards during construction
• Epoxy coatings installed on floor