Puente AVE río Ullamaniobras especiales de montaje de su estructura metálica

Abstract

In the very north west of Spain at the protected landscape of the river Ulla, VSL Heavy Lifting is executing several major operations for the new High-Speed Train bridge connecting Coruña and Pontevedra. The 1,620m long composite bridge will break three world records once it is finished. VSL was awarded with different contracts to install a total of 25,000t of steel structure at their final position. The first big maneuvers began at the end of 2012 with the installation of the starter panels at the top of the four main concrete piers. After ten months, in August 2013, this first part of the works has been completed. At each main pier, two lateral 400 t starter panels sizing 40x18x1m were positioned in a complex operation including: simultaneous tilting (lower skidding at the base of the island around the pier plus a vertical lifting), lifting 45 meters, shifting 4,3 meters from each side of the pier, lowering, supporting on the pier head and finally tilting them until their final position. VSL HL is also supplied all the auxiliary steel structures, like the 25 meter height top steel gantry (24 meters wide and supported on a base frame of 6x9 meters). Since November 2012 VSL has supplied equipments for the liftings of the last constant spans depth, close to the abutment 2. And right now, VSL is performing two other main contracts: • launchings from the abutment 1: these constant depth spans are being launching in two phases down hill, up to 3.000t and 240m.The first one was completed in August 2013, and the second will end these days. • balanced installations of the segments of variable depth for the main spans of the bridge: VSL has designed, supplied, installed and is operating 4 lifting gantries for the installation of these segments up to 275t. On each pier, there are two gantries installed: o one fix gantry: which lifts the segments directly from their bottom shadow to its final vertical position, and o another mobile gantry: which always lifts the segments from the island around the pier, skid them all the way below the former segments installed by this gantry and once it is on the last position, the gantry is fixed to allow the skidding of the segment till its final position, lift it and connect it to the last one. VSL will continue performing these manoeuvres till begging of 2014.