Canal Lining

[Pirate]

What do they use to line the canals?

[DHutch]

Clay.

 

- Put "clay puddling" into goodle

[Christine]

Have a look at this link:

www.weyandarun.co.uk/longmeadow.html

 

The Trust are using Betonite to repair a breech, I understand that a local brickworks supplies quantities of the stuff.

 

Chrissie

[DaveR]

Useless facts about Bentonite.

 

The best stuff comes from Wyoming in the good old US of A.

It doesn't mix with salt water, however if you start it with fresh water you can thin it with salt water.

Brewers use it to clear the wine/beer (called finings).

BW plug holes with it.

Colour (or color if it is American) ranges from a Grey (or Gray) and pink.

Its just a powdered rock which is thixotropic when mixed with water.

 

Isn't that just sad?

[tony collins]

What do they use to line the canals?

 

 

Blue lias clay is perhaps the best as is it SO impermiable, it's also impossible to get off your boots. Nowadays they also use concrete. Most of the City Basin at Coventry is made up of a concrete liner either pre cast or cast inplace. Most of the bottom at Wyken Basin (our moorings) is brick lined. So Guess the answer is there is no one material, although clay puddle is by far the most common.

 

Tony

Edited March 1, 2006 by tony collins

[nigel carton]

I think they use shopping trollys in Birmingham,

[nipper]

Hiya!

 

I may be a novice to canals and their linings, but.

When sheet metal pilings are driven into embankments and alike, does this not penitrate the linning?

 

I passed through Shebden embankment the other day, It's usable now by the way, a whole stretch of pillings has been used, why does it not leak?

 

Brian

[DHutch]

I think they use shopping trollys in Birmingham,

There quite porus tho, they much use somthing underneath. With the trolleys just to protect it?

 

 

Daniel

[wrigglefingers]

There quite porus tho, they much use somthing underneath. With the trolleys just to protect it?

Daniel

 

carrier bags with the odd bin liner and body bag thrown in to ensure a quality finish .......

[John Orentas]

99% of the canal network keeps it's water in place by means of the clay puddle which was put down when it was first built 200 years ago. It has stood the test of time and it is to a great extent self repairing.

 

Here and there the canals have suffered problems mainly to do with mechanical stability, various alternative sealing systems have been tried but the only one which solves the structural problems and can be guaranteed to hold water is 'the concrete trough'. This works 100%.

 

P.s. someone will mention the Llangollen but that is another matter.

[fender.]

99% of the canal network keeps it's water in place by means of the clay puddle which was put down when it was first built 200 years ago. It has stood the test of time and it is to a great extent self repairing.

 

Here and there the canals have suffered problems mainly to do with mechanical stability, various alternative sealing systems have been tried but the only one which solves the structural problems and can be guaranteed to hold water is 'the concrete trough'. This works 100%.

 

P.s. someone will mention the Llangollen but that is another matter.

 

the llangollen (and the kennet and avon too at Avoncliff) concrete troughs only work well if there is adequate drainage underneath - especially where the canal is on a hillside - the llangollen's repairs in the mid 80's had chronically inadequate drainage, which caused it to fail, hence a comprehensive drainage system is now in place

[Yamanx]

I read the canal builders used to line the canals in clay then drive flocks of sheep through.

[John Orentas]

the llangollen (and the kennet and avon too at Avoncliff) concrete troughs only work well if there is adequate drainage underneath - especially where the canal is on a hillside - the llangollen's repairs in the mid 80's had chronically inadequate drainage, which caused it to fail, hence a comprehensive drainage system is now in place

 

 

Hi Fender.

 

Yes I was going to mention that if anyone enquired. Certainly in the case of the Llangollen the problem with land drainage water eroding the canal from bellow was not realised until the new concrete channel suffered the same fate as the original conventional channel, it was assumed that it was the canal water eroding the banks and base that was the cause of problems going back to the time when it was first built.

 

The latest failures allowed a post mortem to be made, it was found that the concrete trough was in perfect condition, the only problem it was 500 feet below where it should have been, in the valley bottom.

 

As you say when the underlying problem was identified an extensive system of drainage was incorporated into the latest rebuilds. As a result of this experience a number of similar contour canal repairs were revisited, one such local to me is a long stretch of concrete channel on the lower Peak Forest, this is now closely monitored.

[DaveR]

OK, I have to ask - what were the sheep driven through it for? Or were they left in the clay as binding?

[DHutch]

They press the clay down, its called puddling as i said before, google it.

[fender.]

The latest failures allowed a post mortem to be made, it was found that the concrete trough was in perfect condition, the only problem it was 500 feet below where it should have been, in the valley bottom.

 

Yes John, that must have been a shock to BW's integrity to find their precious canal had taken off for pastures anew by the banks of the River Dee!

 

I noticed on the Llangollen there are markers every so often that are regulalry monitored for any sign of possible movement I wonder if the same system is in use on the Peak Forest?

Fender

[John Orentas]

Yes John, that must have been a shock to BW's integrity to find their precious canal had taken off for pastures anew by the banks of the River Dee!

 

I noticed on the Llangollen there are markers every so often that are regulalry monitored for any sign of possible movement I wonder if the same system is in use on the Peak Forest?

Fender

 

 

Yes they seem to have those datum points on a lot of sensitive structures, I believe they can detect tiny movements using laser thingy's. I have even seen them fitted to lock walls.

[DHutch]

Yes they seem to have those datum points on a lot of sensitive structures, I believe they can detect tiny movements using laser thingy's. I have even seen them fitted to lock walls.

Yeah, its quite amazing how accuate thos things are.

- They also have them all over the concreate sides around anderton (which that canal is falling into the salt mines)

- And all over the large wall at the south end of the harecastle tunnel. And i seen them in varous other places as well.

 

 

Daniel