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THE LIFTING AND MOVEMENT OF LARGE STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS

The use of plant and equipment employed to move heavy components, leading to the first use of PTFE sliding equipment by British rail in 1966. In this first successful application a low friction glacier du material of PTFE impregnated sintered bronze pad was used under a heavy concrete bridge to form a sledge which ran on a stainless-steel-faced billet track, to place the bridge in position over a new motorway. The subsequent further development of PTFE-based systems is discussed. The unusual combination of the principles of heavy lifting and horizontal sliding of major bridge components using PTFE-based systems is described by reference to the construction of the Rio Niteroi Bridge, crossing Guanabara Bay in Brazil. This project called for three steel main spans of 200 M, 300 M and 200 M, together with smaller supplementary spans at each end with the roadway at a height of 65 M above sea level, and involved the handling of steel sections weighing up to 5250 tonnes. Reference is also made to a further and more recent application of the transverse movement of massive steel structures on PTFE in the movement of the 13500 tonne shell brent a jacket some 900 ft from the building area before being towed to the Brent North Sea oil fields. Associated problems are described, and reference made to the development of associated control equipment utilising multi-winch operation from a single control position, a combination of lasers and closed circuit television to monitor structural deflections, and the inclusion of micro-switches to confirm positive functioning of equipment. /TRRL/

  • Corporate Authors:

    Kalerghi Publications

    51 Welbeck Street
    London W1,   England 
  • Authors:
    • Thorp, R C
  • Publication Date: 1977-1

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00159736
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Analytic
  • Files: ITRD, TRIS
  • Created Date: Mar 29 1978 12:00AM