Work related blog

As promised:

This one is in Melaka, near Jonker Street.

Technically, this work is pretty challenging as space was a big issue. I had to design and build one Pumping Station (this is a very high tech term to describe a place where shit will come in and be pumped to the Sewage Trreatment Plant, or STP) with space constraint and still had to comply with the local authority's specification and the Drainage Department Specifications as well.

The structural engineer has years of experiences in handling and building structures on/in marine clay (this meant soil condition that is so bad, some less experienced contractor will over design, and thus, spent unnessasary monies just to get it done).

This pic shows the site, prior to be doing some soil investigation:



When all the soil investigation and ensuring that we won't be digging into anyone's grave are done, it is time to call in *reinforcements* in the form of piling...not police or yakuzas or the local triad gang la...

The engineer designed and decided to use spun piling, basically, it is interlocking of length and length of reinforced round shaped with hole in the middle concrete that will be driven by those piling machines deep into the ground. Nope, we didn't unearth any lost city, unlike the one found in johor.



We used 30 length of 20 meters spun piles and 30 length of 10 meters spun pile, each 400mm in diameter to create a *shoring* effect (think of those anchor that popeye would throw around after cans of spinach) to secure the strcuture that would be then casted.

Here is the holes left after the piles are completely driven into the ground. We didn't manage to *pile to set* (ie pile until the pile can't go in anymore) as we've driven into 18 meters of the ground. Marine clay has a characteristic that allows the whole pile to be able to withstand and the co-efficient of the drag would prevent the piles from *floating* upwards.



Here it is, looked like someone planted the whole place with mines and ready to blow it all up. Muahahahahah....



The piling was done in a circular shape with a diameter of 7 meter. That is how big this Pumping Station will be.

Next on the line is of course, moving in workers to do formworks, before the concrete are poured in to cast the walls. Will not get into the technicality of this process, as i believe it is more fun to keep tech talk to the minimal and let all of you be awed by what these people could do in 10 days....



Then, we pour in those concrete and it looked like this:





Each wall is 8 feet high, except the first wall which is 4 feet, and we worked our way down, digging and making more form works until the whole completed substructure looked like this:



and the picture above tells you that the structure is 16feet deep...try falling into it...or even worse still, imagine falling into that amount of shit...LOL...

The site is currently not handed over abck to me yet, as the piping contractor has not completed their pipe jacking across the river. Once that is compelted, i'll have the site back, and will proceed to build the middle wall that will separate the shit portion and the pump portion. ;-)

Meanwhile, here is some better res pics of the other site in Melaka, ie the KUTKM in Durian Tunggal, so, for those that is studying there, heads up, and be proud that you knew the dirty bugger than designed, and built this shit treatment place for your University College. ;-)

Blower room:


Secondry Screen Chamber (Remember where i found the fish???):


Sludge Scraper, where all gunks and slimes will be scrape off :

You could see the control room at the far right corner and my SLK (Small Lil Kancil) on the mid left area...

Water fall at the other end, NOT!:


Aeration tank, where shit will be disintergrated and be known as sludge:

And no, you are not allowed to do swimming laps here, unless you are the Swamp Thing.

So, there you go, i will upload, and update, whenever i can. Today i could because i was duped to come to work, whereelse the office is only gonna be working starting tomolo!!!