Advanced Grouting Program at Penn Forest Dam Results in Reduced Construction Costs and High Quality Product.

The new Penn Forest Dam was constructed to replace the old earthfilled embankment dam. The new dam is a roller compacted concrete dam located just upstream from the original dam. The new dam is approximately 180 feet high and 2000 feet long.³

The new dam includes a triple-row grout curtain. The first grout line (A-Line) was constructed using conventional grouting techniques, including conventional neat cement grouts, manual monitoring techniques and visual pressure gauge recording and dipstick measuring grout flow and takes. The B-Line and C-Line were constructed using balanced stable suspension grouts (additive enhanced formulations) and computer monitoring and evaluation system.

Compared with the conventional method, the advanced grouting system resulted in a higher quality product and significant cost savings for the owner in construction, inspection and schedule related costs as summarized in Fig. 1. The following paper summarizes and outlines the benefits of using stable suspension grouts and a computer monitoring and evaluation system.