• Project Data

For several years now, Decatur, Alabama, has been putting itself on the industrial recruiting map. In September, the city grabbed a prize plum when the Boeing Co. announced plans to build a $400 million rocket plant there that will employ up to 3,000 people. Prior to that, another highly coveted catch came when TRICO Steel chose Decatur as the location for a $450-million, state-of-the-art steel facility. At TRICO, construction was in a fast-track design and build mode from the get-go. "Changes were constantly coming in the door - changes in line sizes, materials, conflicts with drawings issued under other contracts, and from various oversights," said Jason Seubert, project administrator for contractor Garney Companies, Inc., which handled the job from its office in Fairhope, Alabama . In addition, "The job was extremely congested," Seubert said. "Caisson work was being performed, steel erection, structural concrete, electrical duct banks, and above-ground mechanical was all being done. In some areas, there were as many as seven large diameter pipelines in the same trench in depths of more than 20 feet. "The lay-down areas for all the contractors caused additional problems with our installation. There were 14 contractors and more than 1,500 workers at the height of the project," Seubert said. Most of the site utilities feeding the TRICO plant consisted of more than 45,000 feet of 4- through 60-inch AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe, including more than 36,500 feet of 4-through 16-inch Fastite®, all of which was used with Fast-Grip® gaskets. The job also required more than 5,700 feet of 18- through 36-inch Fastite®, which was used with Flex-Ring® fittings, and more than 3,500 feet of Lok-Ring® in 42- and 60-inch diameters. "Constant changes required field adaptability without lead time of pipe fabrication," Seubert said. "We had extra AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe and fit-tings on hand that allowed immediate changes in the field while the design con-tinually evolved. We were very impressed with the performance of AMERICAN products. Fast-Grip® gaskets, for example, withstood test pressures of 250 psi." During much of the job, weather conditions were extremely cold and wet. To achieve sufficient compaction of backfill, Garney backfilled with crushed stone. Compared with other piping materials, AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe worked well under such conditions. In terms of service, "AMERICAN was required to keep up with the fast-track design build of this project," Seubert said. "They also were able to supply the materials needed to keep up with the constant changes, additional work, and hopscotch installation."	A piece of 60-inch AMERICAN Lok-Ring® pipe is lowered into a trench during construction at the TRICO Steel plant. More than 3,500 feet of 42- and 60-inch Lok-Ring® were installed on this project.
	Installation progresses on parallel lines of 42-inch AMERICAN Lok-Ring® pipe.
	The 20-inch AMERICAN Ductile Iron riser piping shown here is connected with 42-inch Lok-Ring® and 20-inch Flex-Ring® tees.

Owner/Project:	TRICO Steel, Decatur, Alabama
Contractors:	Garney Companies, Inc., Fairhope, Alabama, Office
Engineers:	Lockwood Greene, Knoxville, Tennessee, Office
Material:	More than 36,500 feet of 4"-16" Fastite® with Fast-Grip® gaskets; more than 5,700 feet of 18"-36" Fastite® with Flex-Ring® fittings and more than 3,500 feet of 42" and 60" Lok-Ring®
Sales Representatives:	Bill Carter
Customer Service Representative:	Lori Fant

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