Kommerling seals refurbish lock gates
Kommerling, manufacturer and supplier of sealants and adhesives, has supplied 360 litres of its Rallithane 810 to Bristol City Docks for sealing its refurbished inner lock gates. Each gate measures 10 metres square is over a metre deep and weighs 75 tonnes. This contract follows a successful application of the Kommerling product on the outer gates last year.
Kevin Pomeroy, principal engineer at Bristol City Docks, explains: “The lock gates are over 50 years old and the time had come to restore them. The gates are of riveted steel construction, with greenheart timber at the mitre and heel.
We needed a product that would give us at least another 50 years use and be able to cope with acute demands of the tidal environment at Bristol.”
The docks have a tidal range in excess of 10 metres, the second largest in the world.
The inner lock gates are currently in the Albion Dry Dock where they have been ultra high pressure washed and the old greenheart removed. Steelwork repairs are underway and the new greenheart is being prepared to be fixed to the gates. Traditionally, when the greenheart was fixed to the gates they would have bedded it with a mixture of powdered lead and linseed oil to form an effective seal. For Health & Safety reasons it is now not permissible to use lead. The Rallithane 810 is a high modulus, one-part polyurethane sealant. Whilst providing a strong effective seal the Rallithane 810 maintains permanent flexibility and is resistant to biodegradation, a vital factor when it is being used in this type of wet location.
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