Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

So this week I have mostly been on paternity leave.  This has simply added a new string to my “work avoidance” bow with an upcoming TMR deadline.  That said, I have managed to do the little and often approach, although not as often as I would have liked!  Harrison is now 15 days old, doing well (as is Lisa) and Team Serevena is semi ready for my return to work.

I did spend a day in the office this week and after the many back pats and congratulatory pleasantries (I really didn’t do a great deal) spent Thursday undertaking a design review of the Jetty temporary works.  I needed to be in as one of the discussion points was the pile testing, the part of the scope that I am solely responsible for (and this ties in neatly with my thesis proposal – I love it when a plan comes together!).  As well as the pile testing, we also looked at the traveller in detail, including the construction sequence, operation and reconfiguration for phase 2 of the Jetty trestle installation.  Several areas of concern worked through but no pressing challenges relating to the traveller for me to raise in this forum.

The only potential challenge that I’m open to suggestions for is how to splice piles and their reo cages when working over the water. Concept is to drive a 30-32m section which is as long as we can drive with the likely barge/crane configuration and then have to undertake a vertical splice of the last 10-14m pile section.  Typically this would be done in a nice jig but it’s not that easy on this occasion. Thoughts welcome from one and all.

That’s about it really this week.  I return to work on Tuesday, CIs visit at the start of the following week and then pedal to the metal with pile testing for me! (Although we still don’t have any idea of a start date – we’ll be poised like coiled springs)