Remedial Repairs to Structural Frame, With Environmentally Friendly Sponge Blasting ‐ Whitehall School, Leicester

Churchill Specialist Contracting were contacted by SMP Structural Engineers of Leicester. The school’s gymnasium building was showing signs of loose and de-bonded brick work around the base of the buildings structural steel frame. On closer inspection it was noted that the steel frame was corroding and the resulting expansive forces being generated by the corrosion process resulted in damage to localised brick work and the concrete casing. The works required completing during school hours and the original coating was an unknown and potentially harmful substance.

The Solution

The structural steel frame required blasting in order to remove all corrosion products and previous coatings prior to the remedial repairs. The solution was to use Sponge blasting techniques. The technique uses aluminium oxide media contained within sponge material. The process is 100% dust free and captures the contaminant before it can become airborne and potentially harmful. Sponge blasting techniques are dry, dust free and contain harmful waste such as lead based coatings. The system is also not as aggressive as conventional blasting meaning that other trades can work I close proximity of the blasting works.