Products and solutions Sep 4, 2002 2:00 AM
Securing river embankments - ThyssenKrupp GfT has the solution
The worst floods in centuries along the banks of the River Elbe in northern and eastern Germany were a clear example of how rising water levels exert inexorable pressure on river embankments, eventually causing them to burst. In their desperation, people in the affected areas often try to stem the flow with tarpaulins or sandbags, which in most cases are hopelessly inadequate.
ThyssenKrupp GfT has far more effective flood protection capabilities: Tried and tested in many years of civil engineering and harbor construction projects, the company`s sheet piling solutions are ideally suited to shoring up and reinforcing river banks, are easy to install and blend invisibly into the embankment.
Sheet piling can be used to both seal and stabilize embankments, providing an insurmountable barrier even if the riverbank itself has been washed away. And when water levels rise so much that they threaten to flood over the embankment or quay wall, ThyssenKrupp GfT has add-on systems which can temporarily raise the barrier height.
ThyssenKrupp GfT also has all the equipment needed to install sheet piling. Engineered in-house and used throughout the world, these attachments can be mounted on standard construction sector carriers to great effect. Their low-noise, low-vibration operation makes them the ideal solution even in sensitive ecological conditions.
Sheet piling from ThyssenKrupp GfT is used to secure embankments at strategic points on the Rhine and Danube and has proven capable of withstanding the severest loads, especially in areas susceptible to flooding.
The most recent example is in the German town of Dannenberg (on the River Elbe), whose mayor Jürgen Meyer said: "The sheet piling and driving equipment were made available quickly and without red tape, otherwise the area would have been flooded." ThyssenKrupp`s technology helped avoid incalculable damage.
Photo: Embankment secured by ThyssenKrupp GfT in Dannenberg (Elbe)
Press contact:
Stefan Ettwig
ThyssenKrupp Materials
Tel.: +49(0)211 967-35091
Fax: +49(0)211 967-35483
E-mail: ettwig@tkserv.thyssenkrupp.com
www.thyssenkruppmaterials.de