Whether it’s Boxes, Braces, Ladder Access or auxiliary components, products get damaged from time to time.” While Jayville Engineering manufacturer the most robust trench shoring products in the marketplace, use in the field over time results in the need for maintenance and repair.

How are they broken?

Some repairs are required simply due to longevity of continued use. Jayville’s products are hired out regularly to contractors, so they see more use than most. With minimal downtime they are installed and then removed and reinstalled on a different project.

Other repairs are often created by exuberance during the dig and push method of installation and removal process. Boxes are put in place by excavators tamping down the product using the bucket to push the box into place.  Where time is money on a construction site, some inexperienced contractors may use excess force or strike the top of the box panels too aggressively in an attempt to install the box rapidly. Substrata in the excavation area can compound the forces being applied and the structural integrity of the box becomes compromised, often resulting in panels and associated structures such as strut fixing points pins and R-clips being deformed. “We produce a wide range of shoring products for hire companies who want minimal product downtime. Ideally they want to pressure wash the products and send them back out again to the next contractor. The most common repair we see relate to inexperienced contractors who have hammered the product into the ground rather than digging and pushing in the correct way. Fortunately our experienced repair teams can make repairs for this sort of damage rapidly, minimising hire company down time,” reports Andy Hume, Jayville Engineering – Director.

Can it be repaired?

Where boxes require maintenance due to normal wear and tear as a result of high use then repair is always possible. It is only in extreme circumstances that repair is uneconomical and replacement becomes the best option. “Our repair team always begin by assessing the damage and the methodology required to make an effective repair. Our team take photographs of the damage and produces a Repair Approach Report (RAR) that details how the repair will be undertaken and any further modifications that may be needed to update the box in line with current product specifications. This includes validation of the repair and detailed calculations relating to materials required and techniques used to ensure the box regains its original structural strength,” reveals Andy.

Once the RAR has been approved the repair work commences. The repair team comprise a number of specialists from skilled, experienced engineers to coded welders. All have experience of refurbishing the Jayville range of trench shoring products together with those of many other manufacturers in the market place.

 

 

Testing Testing

After a repair has been made it is comprehensively inspected and tested. This is done initially in its raw state before painting to assess structural strength and integrity. All welding is performed to the Structural Welding Code for Steel standard (AWS D1.1-90) using 70,000 psi welding rod or wire. Steel sheet is specified to have a minimum yield strength of 55,000 psi. Inspection and testing is signed off before painting commences. Paint colour is specified and the product further inspected following painting to check the finish. “It is important that repairs return the product back to a state that is as good as new. In some circumstances the cosmetic finish may not be pristine as the day it left the factory, but it will have the original structural properties and a quality paint coating that helps the product battle the elements in the field,” says Andy.

Repair vs New

As the price of steel continues to rise manufacturers are turning to Jayville more regularly for repair of their shoring products rather than replacing with new. “Our reputation for first class refurbishment is well recognised across the industry. We supply specialists in the hire of  plant equipment all over the UK. They want to provide high quality services backed by experienced and knowledgeable staff. So, they turn to Jayville for products that are robust and bring longevity to their product range. They also want the confidence that products damaged by their customers that hire them can be repaired effectively and rapidly, returning the product to the field as good as new and minimising hire downtime. They build long-standing relationships with us because our products and repair service are very reliable. The fast turnaround we provide means jobs on site are not being held up. Our innovative products also bring flexible shoring solutions to the market, such as our Atlas 300 modular bracing system, providing a valuable addition to the range of products our customers can purchase to hire out,” reveals Andy.