Industrial Pavement Disputes

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Industrial Pavement Disputes - Green Fields and Grey Areas

By Patrick Irwin, Forensic Structural Engineer

This article may be of interest to those involved in disputes


relating to the performance and use of industrial pavements,
both within buildings and externally. It may also be relevant for
those involved in commercial property leasing.

Introduction
Even by the dry standards of building dispute topics, concrete
pavements may provoke a jaw aching yawn. However, they are a
fertile field for disputes which can be expected to increase for the
reasons discussed in this article.

Traffic-able pavements are large elements of key infrastructure for


the commercial sector and represent high capital value and often
high opportunity cost when they deteriorate prematurely.

In commercial use, pavements have a finite lifespan and can readily


deteriorate if over worked by heavy vehicles, high loads or The performance of the pavement may also be effected by site
environmental changes. The design of pavements is quite a drainage which is often part of the design. Of all the factors listed
complex process and is not always done appropriately. above, the pavement thickness and the jointing are typically the most
Standardisation of designs and the regulatory system are incomplete
important. Soundly designed industrial pavements are generally at
and disputes between tenants, property owners and builders over
least 200mm thick and have a joint layout on a grid of less than 10m
performance of pavements are not uncommon. with construction joints and saw cut joints separately detailed.
There are numerous alternative systems such as post tensioned and
jointless arrangements but this discussion is limited to conventional
reinforced concrete pavements.

A engineered pavement design should be informed by a geotechnical


report with suitable recommendations and consider a defined design
load and service life Suitable site drainage must also be designed,
this is usually on the same drawing. Unfortunately and particularly
in cases of small projects, documentation is often poor.

A gap in the system at the design stage is that there is nothing to stop
an engineer presenting an arbitrary specification without any
analytical support, not even consideration of loads and this does
Industrial pavements may be grey and dull on the surface but are occur. Unlike in structural engineering for building permit approved
technically complex beneath. works, there is rarely any requirement for certification or BCA
compliance. Whilst numerous codes and standards may be
Design applicable there is no regulatory system requiring such compliance.
Virtually all heavy duty pavements are concrete as asphalts and
gravels are insufficiently robust. The design process is quite
complex and is governed by the environment and the use to which
the pavement is intended. In most cases this reduces to the number
of wheel loads and their magnitude over an anticipated service life.
Anticipating future use is not always easy and the design engineer
may not have accurate information upon which to base his design.
Ideally engineering designs should state on the drawing their
intended service loads, both in magnitude and repetition and the
design service life. This is rarely done and is commonly an
uncertainly faced in reviewing the suitability of a design.

A pavement design will typically consist of the following:


A foundation specification (this may be natural ground or fill).
The subbase (usually a nominal thickness of crushed rock). A
pavement specification including, thickness, concrete grade, Forklifts commonly impart high wheel loads to pavements due to the
cantilevered position of their loads.
reinforcing fabric, and cover. Jointing layout and details are also
very important.
Approvals for the service loads over a range of other estimated variables. This
Unless buildings are part of the scope, a building permit may not be kind of sensitivity analysis can sometimes save extensive testing.
required. Thus design documents are not always filed for building
permit. Even if a building permit is required there is no effective Repair
system in place to ensure that the design meets the intended usage. Epoxy repair of cracks is often appropriate. Even though such
This is an important departure from standard building work in which repairs are often unsightly and unlikely to be durable they will
the BCA and loading codes provide a framework to ensure buildings typically slow fretting significantly and thus increase service life.
are able to serve their intended purpose. In every case I have Later more extensive works may be required. Beyond this,
investigated the approved documents have not adequately defined demolition and reconstruction is usually the ultimate solution and
the intended service use or design life. this may be staged to best contain the impact upon site usage. Other
techniques with specific applications include grout injection to raise
Inspections low areas and local patch repair.
There are no mandatory building surveyors’ inspections for
pavements unless they are part of a building. In the event that such
inspections occur, the building surveyor may do little more than
glance at the foundation and reinforcement. Typically, sub grade
preparation, sub-base thickness and materials and many other
factors including finished slab curing are important. Ideally
multiple engineering inspections should be provided and their
findings documented, but this rarely occurs. Thus for practical
purposes most such works are not usefully inspected leaving little
assurance that works were built as designed.

Why Does this Matter?


Unlike many parts of a building, the design life of such pavements is
a real and practical limitation. There are no inherent safety factors
and, typically, the design life will not be as long as for conventional
buildings. Pavements are designed to wear out. To make them
more robust then necessary is too costly. This is a reason why roads Concrete cracks are notoriously difficult to repair.
have to be periodically re-constructed. This is a method of Careful consideration of responses may be required.
achieving the most economical life cycle.

Usage Tenancy & Leasing


Again this is an area where little regulation or documentation is Many commercial and industrial properties are leased and few leases
common. Particularly if the site has had multiple tenants the past are specific about the use to which pavements are put or the loads
use to which the pavements have been put may be unclear. Even the and repetitions they can sustain. Ideally the lease should be based
current use may not be well defined. upon design documents and construction records confirming the
proposed use is within the capacity of the pavement and be
accompanied with a detailed condition report. All this information
Failures
may not be available but any kind of information about the agreed
Typically failure starts with fretting at joints and accelerates as
use of the pavement may be useful in the dispute context.
fretted material has a destructive effect. The practical ramifications
of this may vary from little to severe, depending upon the state of
The lack of the above cautions lead to scenarios where usage causes
deterioration and service requirements. The most sensitive
expensive deterioration. Tenants suffer loss of amenity and costs to
situations are often within factories or warehouses. Many modern
their business and owners are faced with expensive capital works.
warehouses have high forklift operations for raking access. These
What has gone wrong? Has the tenant miss-used the pavement or
machines must run on a sound and level base to safely operate at
was it at the end of its design life anyway? Should the property have
height. Spalled materials may cause other damage and OH&S
been leased for the purposes to which it was put? Who is
issues.
responsible for repair or re-construction?

Investigation
The Technical Expert’s Role
This typically starts with a walk over inspection and a review of
The technical expert will often focus upon what (if anything) has
jointing and any exposed edges. Further testing such as core hole
gone wrong and the alternatives available to make good. The
investigation of the pavement and testing of the sub grade may be
briefing solicitor needs to carefully consider the questions to ask the
required. Although analysis is complex it is sometimes possible to
expert in light of the lack of the regulatory frame work and available
reverse engineer from minimal information. For instance, it might
documentation. It may be useful to first engage a engineer for a
be possible to establish that the constructed thickness as not suitable
global review rather than going straight to a more specific focus such
as materials or geotechnical investigation.

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