ESSROC Cement Corp

The ESSROC plant in Martinsburg (West Virginia) is an important concrete production centre of Italcementi Group. A completely new production line was built inside the centre. It is equipped with an imposing coal storage plant closely linked to the kiln supply plant. The whole centre is interconnected with an existing storage tank.

The design and the construction of this work were particularly complex due to distinctly unfavourable geological conditions with jagged calcareous bedrock and some Karts formations, such as wide underground caves.

Interfacing the part of the existing plant with the new building required to face and solve problems deriving from the correct operation of a new automatic bridge crane, which had to move from the old to the new structure with no limits whatsoever. A very important contribution to the solution of rather complex problems was given by the close connection between CEAS, the local geotechnical advisors and Italcementi staff on the worksite.

CEAS dealt with the executive design (with USA design standard and drawing) of the reinforced concrete works of the tank, the foundations of a raw mill, the steel structures and some mechanical parts such as storage silos and ducts. A crucial aspect for the good achievement of the works was the continuous design adaptation given the results deriving from the construction of pile underpinning. To achieve their goal, CEAS staff inspected and checked the construction drawings of the reinforcement and metal structures produced by local Contractors.