Replacement

Once an asset has reached the end of its useful life, or if the cost of a repair becomes prohibitive, replacement of highly deteriorated structural parts, or even of the entire structure, can be the best choice.

The decision to either repair or replace (part of) a structure must rely on sound technical and financial evaluations: every structure’s lifecycle reaches an end when the predicted costs to repair and to maintain for the required future use period exceed the capital expenditure (CapEx) for a replacement.

Some of the structural components that are highly exposed, and hence often require replacement, are:

• cable stays,
• bearings,
• expansion joints
• some types of post-tensioning tendons.

While many of these are today also designed for well over 50 years, historical components have shown to require structural replacement after much shorter service durations.

Other reasons for replacement of (parts of) structures might be general corrosion of concrete or steel structures (for example bridge decks) or changing functional requirements, such as replacing existing members with larger capacity ones.

VSL can supply and install many of the structural components that may require replacement, as well as methods engineering, to manage load transfers and movement of heavy structural components during a replacement intervention.

• We support the consultant and owner during the technical and financial evaluation, and can provide a thorough comparison of replace vs. repair scenarios;
• We engineer replacement methods and assist consultants in verifying the structural safety and integrity throughout all stages;
• We put the safety of the users and our workforce first and strive for minimal disruption of service;
• Our replacement parts come with state-of-the-art durability and are designed for inspectability and ease of maintenance.

From specialist replacement interventions to full design & build packages, VSL can be your trusted partner to engineer, supply and build.

1. Engineering and design works to assist owners and consultants in the solution development and decision making process
2. Turnkey replacement service, including:

• Cable stays
• Bearings
• Expansion joints
• External post-tensioning tendons
• Dampers
• Auxiliary components

3. Heavy lifting services and hydraulic systems to allow complex load transfers:

• Sliding, lowering, lifting, tilting and rotation of heavy structural parts or entire structures
• Temporary stabilisation