SLJ900/32

Last updated
SLJ900/32
Bridge construct.JPG
TypeLaunching gantry
Manufacturer Beijing Wowjoint Machinery Company [1]
Production2015 [2]
Length91 metres (299 ft) [1]
Width7 metres (23 ft) [1]
Height9 m (29 ft 6 in) [3]
Weight580 tonnes (640 short tons) [1]
Propulsion64x wheel drive system
Speed
  • 8 km/h (5 mph) unloaded
  • 5 km/h (3 mph) loaded

The SLJ900/32 or otherwise known as the Iron Monster [4] is a superheavy launching gantry and one of the largest and most ubiquitous in the world. At over 90 meters in length, the SLJ900/32 is also one of the world's longest terrestrial vehicles. It is built by the Beijing Wowjoint Machinery Company and designed by the Shijiazhuang Railway Design Institute. [1] [3]

Contents

Description

The SLJ900/32 as aforementioned, is 91 metres (299 ft) long, 7 metres (23 ft) wide, 9 m (29 ft 6 in) tall and weighs around 580 tonnes (640 short tons). [4] Compared to conventional cranes which require clear land and are typically only able to lift a few meters of bridge material per-lift, the SLJ900/32 is capable of lifting an entire large segment of bridging material (some of which weigh around 800 to 950 tons) in a relatively compact manner without the hassle of interference such as trees or rocks. [5]

Construction process is done via the vehicle picking up a new pre-cast section of concrete underneath its "belly" and carrying it all the way from the very edge of the bridge to the installation point, where it will be connected to a predetermined pillar. [4] [6] Then, using a pneumatic structure, the machine is moored to the first pillar to extend to the second one, anchoring to it, and places the beam. [4] [3] The process would repeat itself until the bridge's foundations are completed.

The vehicle moves on a large 64x wheel drive system, which in itself is divided into four sections of 16 wheels each (forming two trucks, one at each end). [4] [1] Each of the sections can rotate up to 90 degrees allowing the machine to drive sideways for efficiency when picking up beams. [6] The vehicle can maintain a top speed of 8 km/h (5 mph) unloaded, and 5 km/h (3 mph) carrying a bridge segment. [7]

Each vehicle's operational life is capable of building up to 730 spans before retiring. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military engineering vehicle</span> Battlefield support vehicle

A military engineering vehicle is a vehicle built for construction work or for the transportation of combat engineers on the battlefield. These vehicles may be modified civilian equipment or purpose-built military vehicles. The first appearance of such vehicles coincided with the appearance of the first tanks, these vehicles were modified Mark V tanks for bridging and mine clearance. Modern military engineering vehicles are expected to fulfill numerous roles such as; bulldozer, crane, grader, excavator, dump truck, breaching vehicle, bridging vehicle, military ferry, amphibious crossing vehicle, and combat engineer section carrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsing Ma Bridge</span> Suspension bridge in Hong Kong

Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's 17th-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at the time of its completion. The bridge was named after the two islands it connects, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It has two decks and carries both road and rail traffic, which also makes it the largest suspension bridge of this type. The bridge has a main span of 1,377 metres (4,518 ft) and a height of 206 metres (676 ft). The span is the longest of all bridges in the world carrying rail traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tay Bridge</span> Railway bridge across the River Tay, Scotland

The Tay Bridge carries rail traffic across the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife. Its span is 2.75 miles. It is the second bridge to occupy the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Severn Crossing</span> M4 motorway bridge over the Severn Estuary in the United Kingdom

The Second Severn Crossing, officially named the Prince of Wales Bridge since July 2018, is the M4 motorway bridge over the River Severn between England and Wales, opened in 1996 to supplement the traffic capacity of the Severn Bridge built in 1966. The bridge is operated by England's National Highways. It has a total length of 5,128 metres (16,824 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crane (machine)</span> Type of machine

A crane is a machine used to move materials both vertically and horizontally, utilizing a system of a boom, hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves for lifting and relocating heavy objects within the swing of its boom. The device uses one or more simple machines, such as the lever and pulley, to create mechanical advantage to do its work. Cranes are commonly employed in transportation for the loading and unloading of freight, in construction for the movement of materials, and in manufacturing for the assembling of heavy equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millau Viaduct</span> Cable-stayed bridge in Occitanie, France

The Millau Viaduct is a multispan cable-stayed bridge completed in 2004 across the gorge valley of the Tarn near Millau in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie Region, in Southern France. The design team was led by engineer Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster. As of October 2023, it is the tallest bridge in the world, having a structural height of 343 metres (1,125 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britannia Bridge</span> Road-rail bridge over the Menai Strait

Britannia Bridge is a bridge in Wales that crosses the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and city of Bangor. It was originally designed and built by the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of wrought iron rectangular box-section spans for carrying rail traffic. Its importance was to form a critical link of the Chester and Holyhead Railway's route, enabling trains to directly travel between London and the port of Holyhead, thus facilitating a sea link to Dublin, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box girder bridge</span> Type of bridge

A box girder bridge, or box section bridge, is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinforced concrete. The box is typically rectangular or trapezoidal in cross-section. Box girder bridges are commonly used for highway flyovers and for modern elevated structures of light rail transport. Although the box girder bridge is normally a form of beam bridge, box girders may also be used on cable-stayed and other bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowen Bridge</span> Bridge crossing the Derwent River in Tasmania, Australia

The Bowen Bridge is a segmental cantilever road bridge crossing the River Derwent in Tasmania, Australia. The bridge serves as a vital transportation link in the state capital of Hobart, facilitating the movement of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists between the local government areas of Clarence on the eastern shore and Glenorchy on the western shore. The Bowen Bridge links the East Derwent Highway with the Brooker Highway at Glenorchy, approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Hobart city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge</span> Seismic stabilization megaproject in California (2002–2013)

The eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge was a construction project to replace a seismically unsound portion of the Bay Bridge with a new self-anchored suspension bridge (SAS) and a pair of viaducts. The bridge is in the U.S. state of California and crosses the San Francisco Bay between Yerba Buena Island and Oakland. The span replacement took place between 2002 and 2013, and is the most expensive public works project in California history, with a final price tag of $6.5 billion, a 2,500% increase from the original estimate of $250 million, which was an initial estimate for a seismic retrofit of the span, not the full span replacement ultimately completed. Originally scheduled to open in 2007, several problems delayed the opening until September 2, 2013. With a width of 258.33 ft (78.74 m), comprising 10 general-purpose lanes, it is the world's widest bridge according to Guinness World Records.

Mahatma Gandhi Setu is a bridge over the river Ganges in Bihar, India, connecting Patna in the south to Hajipur in the north. Its length of 5,750 metres (18,860 ft) makes it the fourth-longest river bridge in India. It was inaugurated in May 1982 in a ceremony in Hajipur by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi. From 1982 to 2017, Mahatma Gandhi Setu remained the longest bridge in India. Later, the Gandhi Setu rehabilitation project was undertaken to install triangular steel trusses on Mahatma Gandhi Setu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordhordland Bridge</span> Bridge in Vestland county, Norway

The Nordhordland Bridge is a combined cable-stayed and pontoon bridge which crosses Salhusfjorden between Klauvaneset and the island of Flatøy in Vestland county, Norway. It is 1,614 meters (5,295 ft) long, of which the pontoon section is 1,246 meters (4,088 ft) long. The cable-stayed section consists of a single 99-meter (325 ft) tall H-pylon which has a length of 368 meters (1,207 ft) and a main span of 172 meters (564 ft). This allows for a clearance of 32 meters (105 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gantry crane</span> Type of overhead crane used in industrial environments

A gantry crane is a crane built atop a gantry, which is a structure used to straddle an object or workspace. They can range from enormous "full" gantry cranes, capable of lifting some of the heaviest loads in the world, to small shop cranes, used for tasks such as lifting automobile engines out of vehicles. They are also called portal cranes, the "portal" being the empty space straddled by the gantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medium Girder Bridge</span> Modular military bridge

The medium girder bridge (MGB) is a lightweight, man-portable bridge that can be assembled without help from heavy equipment. In addition, it is also a deck type, two-girder bridging system capable of carrying loads up to and including main battle tanks (MBT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandra–Worli Sea Link</span> Bridge connecting Bandra Basitt and Worli, Mumbai, India

The Bandra–Worli Sea Link is a 5.6 km long, 8-lane wide cable-stayed bridge that links Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai. It is the second longest sea bridge after Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, as well as the 5th longest bridge in India after Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Bhupen Hazarika Setu, Dibang River Bridge and Mahatma Gandhi Setu. It contains pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either side. It was planned as a part of the proposed Western Freeway that would link the Western Suburbs to Nariman Point in Mumbai's main business district, but is now planned to become part of the Coastal Road to Kandivali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overhead crane</span> Type of crane found in industrial environments

An overhead crane, commonly called a bridge crane, is a type of crane found in industrial environments. An overhead crane consists of two parallel rails seated on longitudinal I-beams attached to opposite steel columns by means of brackets. The traveling bridge spans the gap. A hoist, the lifting component of a crane, travels along the bridge. If the bridge is rigidly supported on two or more legs running on two fixed rails at ground level, the crane is called a gantry crane or a goliath crane.

<i>Pioneering Spirit</i> Very large platform installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel

Pioneering Spirit is a catamaran crane vessel owned by the Switzerland-based Allseas Group designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms and the installation of record-weight pipelines. The 382-metre-long (1,253 ft), 124-metre-wide (407 ft) vessel is the world's largest vessel by gross tonnage, the heaviest vehicle ever made and since September 2021 also the largest floating sheerleg in the world. It was built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in 2013 at a cost of €2.6 billion. It commenced offshore operations in August 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geobukseon Bridge</span> Bridge in Yeosu, South Korea

The Geobukseon Bridge (Korean: 거북선대교), also called the Second Dolsan Bridge (제2돌산대교), is the main bridge on the Yeosu Road between Udu-ri, Dolsan and Jonghwa-dong, linking the Port of Yeosu with Dolsando across the Namhae sea. The bridge is floating cable-stayed bridge with 464m (35+82+230+82+35m) length and its construction started in June 2008. It opened in April 2012 and carries four lanes of motor vehicle traffic. The new link was intended to reduce traffic congestion on the First Dolsan Bridge which opened in 1985, and act as an important infra-structure link during the Yeosu Expo which had been held from May, 2012 for three months. The bridge was built by contractor Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd for client Iksan Regional Construction & Management Administration. Contract cost is US$60million, which includes a 460m long tunnel at one end, and a 280m long approach bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Launching gantry</span>

A launching gantry is a special-purpose mobile gantry crane used in bridge construction, specifically segmental bridges that use precast box girder bridge segments or precast girders in highway and high-speed rail bridge construction projects. The launching gantry is used to lift and support bridge segments or girders as they are placed while being supported by the bridge piers instead of the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrol Gantry</span> Shipyard gantry in Belfast

The Arrol Gantry was a large steel structure built by Sir William Arrol & Co. at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was built to act as overhead cranes for the building of the three Olympic-class liners.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Drummond-Roe, Cecilia (4 December 2017). "Engineering feat of the month: the SLJ900/32 bridge building machine". fircroft.com. Fircroft. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  2. Hedmond, Shane (20 October 2015). "Massive 580 Ton Chinese Girder Erection Machine Drops Girders Into Place From Above". Construction Junkie.
  3. 1 2 3 Pittman, Kagan (27 October 2015). "Meet China's Bridge Building Robot". Engineering.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "China's 640-Ton 'Iron Monster' Can Erect Colossal Bridges In a Few Days". Interesting Engineering. 16 November 2021.
  5. "Automated Segmental bridge launching machine". Constrofacilitator. 17 July 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 Jones, Kendall (19 June 2017). "Robot Machine that Builds Bridges". Planswift.com.
  7. Calver, Tom (20 July 2018). "The mega-machines helping China link the world". BBC News. Article with animated diagram of functioning.