Finland-based Outokumpu Long Products has won a contract to provide 350 tonnes of smooth round stainless steel dowel bar for Qatar’s Mega Reservoirs PRPS-3 at Rawdat Rashed.

Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG), contractor for PRPS 3 and Big Blue, a Doha-based supplier specialising in promoting structural engineering products, has arranged a supplier agreement to use Outokumpu stainless steel dowel bars. The bars will be supplied in grade Supra 316L/4404 to be used in the expansion joints for the reservoirs’ rafts and walls.

The new mega reservoirs project will include five primary reservoir and pumping station (PRPS) packages with capacity of 100 million gallons each, making them the largest reinforced concrete reservoirs in the world. The project’s objective is to provide seven days’ potable water storage in new reservoirs, combined with the existing and future secondary reservoirs, to preserve Qatar’s water quality.

Outokumpu stainless steel dowel bars are used in expansion joints for the movement of lateral loads and managing stress within the joint. The dowels are debonded and movements allowed by sleeves specially designed by Big Blue and which include uPVC pipe, compressible filler and end cap. One half of the dowel is embedded into concrete, while the other half is debonded to allow movement at the expansion joints.

Waseem Ameen, director at Big Blue, said: “We have selected Outokumpu to be our associates to supply stainless steel rebar and dowel bar for infrastructure projects in the GCC region. We have received good technical and commercial support from Outokumpu. Our customer appreciates the fact that we work together as a team and solve problems and provide value engineering.”

John Stansfield at Outokumpu Long Products said: “Outokumpu has a full stainless steel rebar offering, including lengths, coils, bent shapes, mesh and dowel bars. We have production sites in the UK and US as well as strategically located stainless steel rebar stock to ensure high availability and short lead times. Stainless steel is an ideal material for infrastructure projects such as at Rawdat Rashed in the Qatar Mega Reservoir projects due to its high corrosion resistance and low life-cycle costs.”