3433 Oakwood Hills Pkwy Eau Claire, WI 54701-7698
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A LOOK BACK: HINGED FLOATING BULKHEADS THEN AND NOW
An innovative, cost-effective device known as a hinged floating bulkhead has been making dam repairs easier and more efficient for more than 30 years now. Ayres’ engineers designed the first hinged floating bulkhead for Northern States Power Company, now Xcel Energy, in 1986 – and, to this day, it’ s still in use and just as effective as it was then.
Over the last three decades, Ayres has installed 12 of the dewatering systems across the country and even in Puerto Rico, finished design on 15, and is working on a 16th out East that’ s scheduled to be installed this fall.
Many changes and refinements have occurred through the last 30 years, including improving fabrication techniques and enhancing the bulkheads’ sealing system to allow for a sturdier seal with a more variable sealing surface. Ayres’ engineers have also modified existing bulkheads for reuse at other facilities and improved the bulkheads’ installation. Where they were once exclusively installed as a garage door-style system, they can now also be designed in an alternative manner – as a one-piece system – if the project calls for it, which is easier to install.
The dewatering system is comprised of individual, floating caissons pinned together at hinges. To place the floating bulkhead, selected caisson chambers are filled with water to sink the assembly into place. The gate is then opened for dewatering. To remove the bulkhead, the water is evacuated from the chambers, and the assembly floats away from the pier noses, leaving it ready for use at the next bay.