In Northern Ontario's picturesque Ouimet Canyon, work is now complete at the 43-turbine Greenwich Lake Wind project. Working for project developer Renewable Engergy Systems, Geo-Foundations' crews spent the fall and winter of 2010-2011 drilling, installing, grouting and post-tensioning 688 multi-strand rock anchors to act as the key components of the turbine foundations.
A rock anchor test program was completed by Geo-Foundations in May 2010, wherein 3 representatively constructed rock anchors were each performance tested to 3740 kN (841,000 lbs).
Rock anchor drilling and installation was completed after turbine base construction. Each rock anchor features a tendon of 18 strands encased in Class 1 corrosion protection. The bottom of the 5 metre deep rock anchor bond zone is located 13 metres below the top of the turbine base. Every rock anchor was locked in place with an externally threaded anchor head to enable future confirmation testing and re-tensioning if necessary.
Bedrock at this eerily beautiful and barren site consists of extremely hard (unconfined compressive strengths range from 125 to 300 MPa), coarse grained pegmatite (granite). Rock anchor components were supplied by Con-Tech Systems. Geo–Foundations' client on this project was general contractor Swan & Associates.
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