At Cambourne, a new community of over 3,000 homes developed near Cambridge, Bovis Homes usede TurboTie new build wall ties during the construction of various properties designed using thin joint technology.
Bovis Homes, one of three developers on site, built several styles of two, three, four and five bedroom properties using 115 Jumbo Solar blocks, from H+H Celcon, for the inner leaf thin joint system. To tie the inner and outer leaves H+H Celcon recommended the use of TurboTies which are engineered specifically for use where the inner leaf is constructed from low density blocks or panels.
TurboTies easily overcame the problems presented by the absence or misalignment of inner leaf mortar beds and were simply driven into the inner leaf blocks, as and where required, during the construction of the outer leaf brickwork. Their self-tapping action avoids splitting blocks and panels, even close to edges, and overcomes the need for expensive, two-part, rigid frame cramp ties.

Before: An empty gable end property in White Lion Street, Norwich, which had suffered from subsidence and was supported by complex temporary framework and pattress plates.


 

Earlier this year the Helibeam System successfully completed its latest engineering tests at the Transport Research Laboratory. The results showed that not only is the non-disruptive, stress-free system ideal for restoring structural integrity to masonry arch bridges suffering from structural failure, it can also be used to enhance the load carrying capacity of sound bridges with low weight limits.

On a full scale test rig, a knife edge load was applied at the quarter point on an arch constructed from low strength bricks and damp sand, rather than mortar, in order to represent a weakened arch suffering from ring separation. The outcome was that the Helibeam System achieved the highest level of structural load capacity for any tested system repair, increasing by more than 2¼ times the capacity of the original non-reinforced test arch.

With Helifix having also been granted ‘Link-Up’ approval the way is now clear for a large increase in our bridge repair and reinforcement contracts, particularly on historic and listed bridges where it is important that the character and appearance of the bridge is left unaltered.