Anchor testing at the River Thames England

Testing of 340 ground anchors after 30 years of service

Anchors at Tilbury Fort and Tilbury Power Station.

Scope of works performed

Testing and inspection of
anchors
Phase 1 and 2 type testing
Suitability and acceptance
Re-loading and adjustment
Refurbishment
Re-monitoring works
Report and recommendations

The locations form part of a flood

defence system, which was installed
in the mid- to late-1970s and
incorporates approximately 340 VSL
ground anchors, many of which are
submerged twice daily by the tide.
Some have been under water since
the 1970s. The testing
gp
programme
g
is
spread over a four year period and
includes testing and inspection works
in two phases.
The year 1 phase 1 testing and
inspection works were 100%
successful across all four sites. Out
of the 115 anchors tested during this
phase, a total of 76 anchors needed
to be re-adjusted to re-commission
them back to the original designed
lock-off loads. This enabled the
areas of the flood wall to return to
being fully effective in the event of
a flood.

Grease that formed around the head

off anchor
h number
b 10 was visible
i ibl
following removal of the
top hat cover. Remarkably the grease
was not adversely contaminated.

www.vsl.com

ID 2657

The Environment Agency awarded

VSL a contract to carry out testing of
a large number of ground anchors
following a competitive tender
process. The anchors had been
installed by VSL more than 30 years
ago and the testing showed them to
have lasted very well despite the
harsh tidal conditions.
The testing works were sited at four
separate locations along the left bank
of the River Thames.

The inspection works proved that the

overall condition of the VSL anchors
and components at the live ends was
generally good. The corrosion
present was mainly at the surface.
This surface corrosion was removed
and the anchor components were
protected with new hot applied
grease, Denso Void Filler No 1,
which is specifically designed as a
dedicated corrosion-prevention
grease. The properties of the new
grease will help to arrest and prevent
the progression of future corrosion
attack
attack.

CLIENT
Environment Agency
MAIN CONTRACTOR
VSL Systems (UK) LTD
DATE
2007-2010

Prior to works commencing, an

anchor shows heavy corrosion built
up over 30 years

The onset of high tide has fully submerged the anchors twice
daily for more than 30 years.

There would be high costs

associated with replacement of
anchors. It is more cost-effective and
beneficial to the client to safeguard
the operational life span of the
existing anchors now, rather than to
delay refurbishment work.
The VSL Ground Anchor System
installed in the late 1970s has proved
to be durable and dependable in the
hostile environmental conditions on
site and has stood the test of time,
despite a lack of maintenance.

All of the 115 live-end anchors have

been successfully inspected and fully
refurbished and it would appear at
refurbished,

The client, the Environment Agency,

is both impressed and delighted. The
results are a tribute to the VSL
this time that not a single individual
anchor has been adversely affected. Ground Anchor System and
demonstrate its quality,
quality reliability
and durability in withstanding such a
corrosive environment over such a
A completely refurbished anchor with
long period.

www.vsl.com

Edited 2010

Anchor number 10 (installed in 1978)

is now in as-new condition with no
sign of any corrosion.

ID 2657

a new top hat protective cover