Cimsa America New Gray Grinding Plant Piling Works

Turkish cement and building materials company Çimsa is actively pursuing growth in the US market by expanding its current cement mill operations. This strategic move involves enlarging Çimsa Americas’ white cement plant, which will not only boost their production capacity but also pave the way for establishing a gray cement grinding plant in the United States. By broadening their operational footprint, Çimsa aims to strengthen its market presence and meet the increasing demand for both white and gray cement in the region. The increased production capacity will enable Çimsa to better serve their customers with high-quality cement products, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving industry.

An industrial facility occupied the site selected for expansion from 1978 until 2017. After demolishing the facility, workers removed and filled its foundation, resulting in 15 ft of disturbed materials consisting of clays, sands, concrete debris, wood debris, gravel, and organic contents covering the future jobsite. Laboratory plasticity test results indicated that the fill soils at this site exhibit a medium to high potential for shrinking or swelling. The fill soils swell when their moisture content increases and shrink when it decreases. This disturbed soil can’t provide the same load bearing capacity as undisturbed soil, necessitating deep foundations work before any new structures can be built. The deep foundations must resist compressive, uplift, and lateral loads to ensure the structural integrity of several new developments, including a linear storage building, raw materials feed, a mill building, the mill itself, and two silos. The deep foundations play a crucial role in supporting these structures and ensuring their stability over time.

Our team is serving as a subcontractor on this site preparation project, where we are responsible for the installation of Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles. Our comprehensive scope of work involves preconstruction services including a meticulous test pile program that will be implemented to facilitate the integrity and performance of the piles. Once we complete testing, we will proceed with the installation of 634 CFA piles. These piles will be 24-inch diameter and will be installed at depths ranging from 45 to 85 ft according to project specifications.

The completion of the CFA pile foundation will greatly enhance the stability and safety of the previously disturbed soil, rendering the site much more suitable for construction. This project is a crucial step forward for Çimsa’s plans to expand their existing plant and to pave the way for their entry into the gray cement market. By undertaking this expansion, Çimsa will be able to diversify their product offerings, adding gray cement alongside their current operations in the white cement market. This strategic move will significantly broaden their market reach and operational capabilities, positioning them for greater success and competitiveness in the industry.