SMR Applications: SMR Hand-Mix

Background

Across the UK contractors, on a daily basis, undertake a high number of small excavations and utility reinstatements (typically digging a 2m2 hole or below) and this can create 0.6 cubic metres / 1.3 tonnes of spoil but more importantly can be quite costly and require considerable time to complete.

Problem

Using traditional methods, different work teams are typically responsible for different aspects of a job and this all contributes to the cost and speed at which a project is completed.

• Crew #1 erects barriers around the identified area needing repair (£50)

• Crew #2 excavates and repairs the utility (£90)

• Crew #3 arrives with grab lorry, removes waste and backfills excavation with virgin material (£120)

• Disposal cost for the 1.3 tonnes of spoil (£13.50)

• Purchase cost of virgin type 1 GSB (£19.80)

• Crew #4 reinstates the excavation with black-top (£120)

• Cost of asphalt (£9)

• Crew #5 return for barrier removal (£50)

Total cost is £472.00 and this can take between three and seven days to complete.

The SMR solution

A single crew can be used to complete all aspects of the project in a single day. Using Chapter 8 signage and guarding, they can excavate and complete the repair; then by adding SMR to the spoil backfill the hole using what was excavated but now transformed into a stable and acceptable material. They can also compact and reinstate the surface using a cold lay before removing the barriers and departing.

Total cost of the above is £148 based on £120 for the crew a the balance covering the cost of a 25Kg bag of SMR and the required three bags of cold lay. The total job is also completed in under two hours.