The hoisting of the lower cross beam of the first main tower of Qinglongmen Bridge has completed. Photo by Sun Haiyang
Yesterday, the hoisting of the first lower beam of the main tower of Qinglongmen Bridge, the world's largest span three-tower steel box girder cable-stayed bridge, was completed, marking a breakthrough in the construction of the bridge.
In the afternoon, dozens of industrial workers were lifting the lower beam of No. 5 main tower of Qinglongmen Bridge. The beam is 30 meters long, 12 meters wide, 7 meters high and weighs about 620 tons.
It is understood that Qinglongmen Bridge is a world-class cross-island project, that is,Ningbo Zhoushan Port Liuheng Highway Bridge Phase II key control project, with double main spans of 756 meters across Qinglongmen waterway and connecting two islands of Fodu Island and Meishan Island. The bridge adopts semi-floating system design, all three towers are 249 meters high, among which the main tower is a diamond-shaped tower.
The project team has developed a detailed lifting scheme, accurately planned the lifting path, and fully considered the complex marine environment and surrounding obstacles on the construction site to ensure the smooth lifting of the lower beam of the main tower.
“The lower beam of the main tower is the key part of the bridge construction, like the 'shoulder' of the bridge,playing an significant function in bearing load. In this construction, the project team employs ‘the new process of the beam bracket-free method’, connecting the beam steel skeleton of the main tower with the tower column steel skeleton at both ends as the bearing system, lifting the beam steel and the steel bar integrally prefabricated skeleton with the aid of the floating crane, then installing the formwork and pouring the beam concrete, realizing the rapid construction of the main tower lower beam, reducing a large number of scaffold support systems built under the beam, and greatly improving the construction efficiency.”Shi Bing said, deputy chief engineer of Liuheng Bridge Phase II Project of CRCC Harbour & Channel Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd.
In addition, the project team, keeping up with the scientific and technological frontier, has been deeply applying digital technology.The team constructs a three-dimensional model through professional technology, which is used to simulate the whole hoisting process comprehensively,.This allows them to anticipate potential problems in advance and develop countermeasures.
“Before the Spring Festival, we shall hoist the lower beam to the tower.After that, the main work during the Spring Festival is to carry out the subsequent steel bar binding, including other auxiliary operations, and try to complete the pouring of the lower beam concrete at the first time after the Spring Festival.”said Shi Bing.
The completion of Ningbo Zhoushan Port Liuheng Highway Bridge Phase II Project will conclude the history that Meishan, Liuheng and Fodu are not connected to expressways, promoting the integration of Yongzhou and Boat into the “fast lane” of development, providing important support for the development of islands along the line and the construction of Ningbo Zhoushan Port into a “world-class strong port”, which is of great significance for Zhejiang Province to promote the construction of a strong transportation and marine province.(Reporter Wu Zhiting and Peng Yali, correspondent Sun Haiyang)