STRENGTHENING MACHINE FOUNDATIONS

E. I. C h a s o v UDC 624.159.11+624.159.4

Damage to machine foundations associated with the formation of c r a c k s in them causes parts of the
supported machines to undergo various deformations which were not allowed for in their design, and c o n s e -
quently to become disabled. Only c o r r e c t l y performed repairs of the foundation will enable the machinery
operation to be continued without any restrictions.
Let us examine typical methods of strengthening such foundations using concrete examples from the
practice of the Leningrad Branch of Fundamentproekt.
The mos t effective strengthening method is to construct r e i n f o r c e d - c o n c r e t e yokes which e m b r a c e the
whole foundation or its spalled-off p a r t along the p e r i m e t e r . As the r e s u l t of concrete shrinkage, an inward
squeezing of the damaged parts of the foundations occurs along the yoke p e r i m e t e r during the hardening p r o -
c e s s . The effectiveness of the s t r e s s e d yokes is determined, not only by virtue of the simple increase in s e c -
tion and the t r a n s f e r of loadings f r o m the existing to the new part of the foundation but also p r i m a r i l y through
joining the cracked parts into a single whole and putting them back into service. The inward squeezing also
provides a reliable joining of the existing foundation concrete and the new, strengthening concrete, into a unity
p e r f o r m i n g as a single whole, and it is therefore essential during the design phase to provide for an increased
hardening shrinkage of the concrete and to take m e a s u r e s against the formation of shrinkage c r a c k s ; and, in
c a r r y i n g out the work, to ensure the n e c e s s a r y inward squeezing.
An increase In the hardening shrinkage of concrete can be secured either by keeping the w a t e r / c e m e n t
ratio constant but increasing the plasticity of the mix, i.e., the cement content compared with the design value;
o r , without changing the cement content, to r a i s e the w a t e r / c e m e n t ratio to the maximum. However, in this
c a s e concrete strength is reduced and this requires the use of a high standard of cement. In o r d e r to i n c r e a s e
the hardening shrinkage of concrete it is n e c e s s a r y to use rapid-hardening (quick-setting) cements and p o s s u -
olanic (trass) cement, and also to include hydraulic additives and hardening a c c e l e r a t o r s in the mix, in quAnti-
ties recommended for their principal designation. This is also promoted by limestone and dense sandstone
aggregates: During their slow absorption of water in the hardening p r o c e s s o f the concrete, a practical r e -
duction of the w a t e r / c e m e n t ratio, i.e., an increase in concrete strength, occurs.
The hardening shrinkage of concrete as a function of its content of cement and water can be calculated
according to various, v e r y approximate empirical formulas which were published, e.g., in [1], but the effects
of the other ingredients can be determined experimentally only.
The yokes, being elements s i m i l a r to framed foundations of machines, should be reinforced in accordance
with ConstructtonNorms and Regulations (SNIP) II-B.7-70 [2], as columns with working rods of 12-20 m m
diam. out of steel Class A-H, spaced 150-200 mm apart; also, with stirrups in accordance to general rules,
but out of reinforcement of periodic section.
Such reinforcement can even by itself r e s i s t the concrete shrinkage s t r e s s e s , with a yoke side length
of 5-6 m. F o r g r e a t e r lengths the reinforcement should be checked by calculations according to formulas for
thermal expansion [3]. Insofar as the concrete-hardening shrinkage is 0.3-0.6 r a m / m , whereas thermal d e -
formations amount to 0.01 m m / d e g C, then for ordinary concrete the design can be made approximately for a
t e m p e r a t u r e change of 50~ and, where special m e a s u r e s are taken to increase shrinkage, for 100~
A volume change in the concrete can also o c c u r as the result of a change in the moisture content; t h e r e -
fore, it is desirable that at the time of concreting the existing foundation be saturated.
However, an inward squeezing occurs only if hardening of the whole of the yoke concrete o c c u r s s i m u -
taneously around the p e r i m e t e r . Construction joints along the yoke length are permitted. Where it is ira-

Leningrad Branch of the State Design Institute of Bases and Foundations (Fundamentproekt). Translated
from Osnovanfya, Fundameuty l Mekhauika Gruntov, No. 2, pp. 9-11, March-April, 1978.

100 0038-0741/78/1502-0100507.50 9 1978 Plenum Publishing Corporation

 b 3,5 a
f 2 i,

~ r--7 / Fig. 1. Strengthening foundation of vertical

I I /
c o m p r e s s o r , with a r e i n f o r c e d - c o n c r e t e yoke:
a) of lower slab; b) of wall of above-ground
/ part; 1) lower slab; 2) yoke; 3) wall; 4) c r a c k s .
r I. . . . i /
/
~--'J /~ 0,8
I"

5
Fig. 2. Strengthening the foundation of two
g y r a t o r y c r u s h e r s with a r e l n f o r c e d - c o n c r e t e
yoke. 1) Foundation; 2) yoke; 3, 4) upper and
lower g y r a t o r y c r u s h e r s .

possible to c a r r y out the concreting in a s h o r t time, the concrete is placed along the whole yoke p e r i m e t e r ,
but to a p a r t of its depth, i.e., a horizontal construction joint is provided.
P r e s e n t e d in Fig. 1 are strengthening s y s t e m s by yokes around the lower slab and pedestals of a r e i n -
f o r c e d - c o n c r e t e foundation of a vertical c o m p r e s s o r in a chemical plant. The vertical out-of-balance 65-kN
f o r c e of the c o m p r e s s o r has a frequency of 300 rpm. All the r e i n f o r c e m e n t was effected with rods of Class
A-I-[ steel, spaced 250 m m apart. The lower yoke (equal in height to the slab thickness of 1.2 m) was r e i n -
f o r c e d with 20-ram-diam. rods spaced around the profile of its c r o s s section, and with t r a n s v e r s e stirrups
of 10-ram diam. The upper yoke embraced the pedestal over its whole height (4.6 m),and was reinforced with
v e r t i c a l rods and closed double s t i r r u p s (inside and outside the yoke) of 1 6 - m m diam., since, in this case, it
is difficult to determine the Wworking" direction. All the c o m e r s of the yoke were reinforced as in f r a m e -
work c o m e r s . A notch was cut in f r o m the surface, and the concrete impregnated with oil was totally r e -
moved, but there was no deliberate removal of the protective c o v e r and exposure of the reinforcement. N o r -
real concrete of standard type M 300 was used.
If c r a c k s extend over a foundation of large dimensions, it is not possible to close them with a y o k e with-
out undertaking special m e a s u r e s . Presented in Fig. 2 is the r e i n f o r c e d - c o n c r e t e foundation for two g y r a t o r y
c r u s h e r s a r r a n g e d in a cascade s e r i e s , which has operated for s e v e r a l y e a r s at the Mizur O r e - D r e s s i n g Plant.
The horizontal forces exerted by the upper c r u s h e r amount to 35 kN, those for the lower unit develop
81 kN; the frequencies are, respectively; 252 and 224 rpm. The foundation had a low concrete strength (the cube
strength as actually m e a s u r e d ranged f r o m 44 to 112 k g f / c m 2, compared to the design value of 150 kgf/cm~).
During the operation of the c r u s h e r s , six lines of horizontal c r a c k s developed along the construction
joints of the foundation. It was decided firstly, in o r d e r to increase the strength of the concrete, to inject
c e m e n t grout into the foundation, and then to strengthen it with a reinforced concrete yoke.
Some 460 holes 42 m m in diam. were drilled to a depth of 500 m m into the foundation walls. Pipes of
2 0 - m m diam. and 200 m m long, spirally wound with 4 - r a m diam. wire welded thereon, were set in them with
m o r t a r of rapid-hardening cement type M-500. Grouting was effected with a slush pump.

101
 2

Fig. 3 Fig. 4
Fig. 3. Strengthening of foundation of horizontal c o m -
p r e s s o r with a solid r e i n f o r c e d - c o n c r e t e yoke. 1)
Foundation; 2) yoke; 3) reinforcement connections b e -
tween outer and inner parts of yoke.
Fig. 4. Spalling off of p a r t of foundation of an opposed
type of c o m p r e s s o r . 1) Foundation; 2) c o m p r e s s o r
(slide support); 3) crack.

With the p u m p connected, the pressure was gradually raised to 25 arm and maintained for a certain
time, and then, evidently when all the cavities in the concrete had been filled, it rose to 40 atm. Altogether
1200 liters of grout, using aluminous cement type M-600 with a setting time of 2 h and a water/cement ratio
of 2.5, were injected
After the grouting, the yoke was concreted. The yoke was reinforced with two layers of m e s h consisting
of 20-mm-diam. Class A-If wires at 206-ram centers. The yoke was fixed to the foundation by welding its
reinforcement to the grout pipes. A notch was cutonto the e~isting concrete, in areas of low strength the con-
crete was spalled off, and exposed reinforcement was welded to the yoke steel
A n inspection with instruments, conducted I year after the reconstruction work, showed that the founda-
tion was monolithic; it has continued to operate up to the present time.
A different method of strengthening was used at the Rustav Chemical Works, for the foundation of a
double-row compressor type 2ShLK-1420,which develops a horizontal force of about 800 k N with a frequency
of 125 rpm.
The walls of the reinforced-concrete foundation (Fig. 3), around the stator pit, had numerous cracks.
The two-part reinforced-concrete yoke was reinforced with four layers of mesh in each part. All the eight
layers were interconnected with rods from Class A-If reinforcement 24 mm in diam., passed through holes
in the foundation walls, spaced at 500-ram centers. Pipes were set in the yokes, and cement grout was in-
jected through them at a pressure of 30 atm, into the construction joints between the existing and the new con-
crete. The foundation has been continuously in service for 10 years since the strengthening.
In many instances relatively small parts of a foundation have been observed to spall off from its main
block. As a rule, this has been encountered at points of load transfer from the machine to the foundation:
supporting pedestals, edges of foundations at anchor bolts, and bed plates to which are attached frame parts
subjected to deformations.
A typical example of such spalling are the c r a c k s in the foundations of opposed c o m p r e s s o r s [4]. Al-
though these machines are theoretically in equilibrium, their foundations are subjected to forces transmitted
to them through the bed plate (slide supports), caused by its elastic deformation from torsional moments of
the twin banks and forces, which do not generate vibrations but are the cause of c r a c k formation.
Presented in Fig. 4 is an example of damage to the foundation of a f o u r - r o w c o m p r e s s o r 4M25-425/22,
operating in one of the plants, the piston force of one row being 250 kN, with a frequency of 300 rpm.
Foundation repairs in such cases are c a r r i e d out in the following sequence: The spalled-off portion of
the foundation and the concrete impregnated with oil are knocked off without removing the reinforcement. In
accordance with the p r e s c r i b e d standards [2], the machine foundations are reinforced over the whole area of
the exposed surface to cover the entire profile, and holes 25-40 mm in diam. are drilled on a staggered p a t -
tern at 4 0 0 - 6 0 0 - m m s p a c i n g , and dowels 16-20 mm in diam. and of Class A - I I steel are set in them with either
cement m o r t a r - o r epoxy glue. The dowels and existing reinforcement are welded together, and the additional

102
 a !

;0;

Fig. 5. Strengthening of foundation with v e r t i c a l

c r a c k s by means of tensioned rods. a) Plan; b)
detail of t i e - b e a m ; 1) foundation; 2) crack; 3)
tensioning rods; 4) bearing f r a m e ; 5) fixing nut;
6) adjusting nut; 7) connection of tensioning rods
to threaded portion.

r e i n f o r c e m e n t placed in position. F o r the r e s t o r a t i o n work, concrete of the strength not l e s s than that of the
existing concrete is used. In o r d e r to e n s u r e a good acceptance by the foundation of the f o r c e s t r a n s f e r r e d
f r o m the machine, it is p r e f e r a b l e to install the dowels so that they will o p e r a t e in tension. W h e r e the forces
a r e acting at a s m a l l angle to the spalling direction, and it is not possible to design the r e i n f o r c e m e n t , usually
two dowels are installed p e r ton of the dynamic f o r c e . Where the f o r c e acts along the spalling plant in the
m a i n block of the foundation, the c o n c r e t e is cut out with grooves (width of key at the top, being not l e s s than
0.5 m). It is useful to v a r y the dimensions of the p a r t spalled off and its shape in such a way that the i n t e r -
f a c e between the existing and new c o n c r e t e will be i n c r e a s e d in a r e a .
In s o m e c a s e s , c r a c k s t r a v e r s e the foundations in a direction n o r m a l to the line of action of the f o r c e ,
and it is then p o s s i b l e to install rods outside the foundation.
By tensioning the rods it is p r a c t i c a b l e to g e n e r a t e f o r c e s exceeding those which c a u s e c r a c k formation.
Illustrated in Fig. 5 is the foundation strengthening of a c o m p r e s s o r l G - 2 6 6 / 3 2 0 s i m i l a r to that described
a b o v e , n a m e l y type 2ShLK-1420. During operation, v e r t i c a l spalling off had o c c u r r e d of p a r t s of the foundation
u n d e r piston rows f r o m its main block.
Bearing f r a m e s of a strengthening t r u s s , c o m p r i s i n g two s t e e l channels No. 30, r e i n f o r c e d with c o v e r
plates and stiffening r i b s , w e r e pulled together by eight tensioning rods 40 m m in diam. and of Class A-II
steel; welded to their ends w e r e threaded p a r t s made of high-tensile steel. The nut between the c o v e r plates
is installed in c a s e the tensioning rods a r e ruptured.
The tensioning rods w e r e designed for a f o r c e of 1200 kN, of which 600 kN is the p r e l i m i n a r y tensioning
f o r c e . Tightening was p e r f o r m e d with jacks (it can also be effected by the e l e c t r o t h e r m i c method).
On one of the foundations, instead of r e i n f o r c i n g - s t e e l tensioning rods a steel cable of 4 0 - r a m dlam~ was
used, tensioned with turnbuckles. This s e t - u p was found to be l e s s effective: As the r e s u l t of the cable ends
pulling out of t h e i r anchorages, t h e i r tensioning relaxed and c r a c k s opened again a f t e r 2-3 weeks.
Although the examples p r e s e n t e d in this article do not encompass the multiplicity of f o u n d a t i o n - s t r e n g -
thening c a s e s encountered i n p r a c t i c e , they a r e typical and can p r o m o t e the development of reliable m e a s u r e s
f o r securing l o n g - t e r m operation of machines mounted on foundations.

LITERATURE CITED
1. C r e e p and Shrinkage of Concrete and R e i n f o r c e d - C o n c r e t e Structures [in Russian], S c i e n t i f i c - R e s e a r c h
Institute of Concrete and Reinforced Concrete (NIIZhB), Stroiizdat, Moscow (1976).
2. Construction N o r m s and Regulations (SNIP) II-B.7-70, Foundations for Dynamically Loaded Machines
[in Russian], Stroiizdat, Moscow (1971).
3. Handbook for Design of Statically Indeterminate R e i n f o r c e d - C o n c r e t e Structures [in Russian], NIIZhB,
Stroiizdat, Moscow (1975).
4. E. L Chasov and A. L. Mats, "Vibration of foundations of opposed c o m p r e s s o r s , and features of their d e -
sign," in: Dynamics of Structural E l e m e n t s , Leningrad Design Institute of Industrial Construction
( P r o m s t r o i p r o e k t ) [in Russian], Leningrad (1976).

103