A group of geotechnical engineers at Acciona’s Brisbane office in Australia benefited considerably from a two-day masterclass on ground anchoring technology presented by SBMA Limited’s Dr Devon Mothersille.
The masterclass provided a great insight into the importance of corrosion protection in ground anchor systems, what happens when protective systems fail, and what geotechnical designers need to do to ensure anchors meet design life expectancy.
Additionally, the masterclass introduced the team to the Single Bore Multiple Anchor (SBMA) system, which allows a series of shorter unit anchors within one borehole to generate greater resistance in soils and weak rocks efficiently. The presentation also included removable anchor systems, showing how this technology can be highly beneficial when working in built-up or sensitive areas.
The general consensus was that these anchoring options could provide cost-effective ground engineering solutions for many of Acciona’s upcoming projects, including foundations for transmission lines and wind farms.
“Devon’s masterclass provided significant value to our geotechnical design team,” said Diego Montiel Iglesias, Engineering & Design’s Regional Manager for Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand. Iglesias continued, “The team gained insights into how techniques like SBMA systems could enhance foundation stability in challenging terrains and how Carbon Fibre Ground Anchors could optimise weight reduction and durability designs.”
While the knowledge and expertise shared during the masterclass were highly valuable, it was also an excellent opportunity to build new relationships between different areas and the specialist business units within ACCIONA.
“Leveraging our business units’ international expertise, we remain committed to strengthening our technical capabilities and applying the latest innovations to our projects. It was great to see that technical ground anchor expertise within our group was being shared among the businesses, ensuring that ACCIONA leads the way with ground anchoring knowledge in our design and project delivery,” said Geotech’s Matt Sentry, Regional Manager – Northern Region.