Keeping the Project on Schedule—A Case Study about Emergency Weld Repairs Required on a Newly Installed Vibratory Caisson

When critical weld repairs and an overall shortening of a foundation caisson threaten to slow down construction crews on an important transmission line construction project, several activities must be quickly and effectively completed to get the issue resolved in a safe and effective manner. This paper will review the steps taken in one such instance, including: developing an overall problem statement; engineering analysis of the shortened caisson depth; organizing the site specific and project specific constraints that might impact execution of the repair; assuring appropriate and effective weld procedures to execute the field repair and ensuring qualified and experienced welder/fitters are utilized; developing an effective solution for the finish/coating repairs that would be needed following weld repairs; and identifying all quality assurance steps that will be needed to be executed throughout the entire repair process.