|
From 2007, the new Hiroshima Central Flight Road will provide a direct link between Hiroshima Airport and Highway 184 – one of Japan's main north-south routes. A key structure along this new 30 km long route is the arched bridge currently being built across the Numata River by a joint venture between the Kajima and Shimizu construction companies.
|
|
 |
|
| The two biggest piers are being erected using Doka automatic climbing formwork SKE 100. Conventional methods, using scaffolding, are being employed on the smaller piers. |
|
|
|
|
The Numata River Bridge crosses the Numata Gorge at a height of 180 m. It is being erected as a steel composite bridge, and has an overall length of 800 m. The steel arch will have a span of 380 m, making the bridge the longest of this type ever built in Japan.
In the foreland zone, eight hollow-box concrete piers are being constructed. The first of these piers is rising from the abutment of the steel arch and will be 96 m high, while its counterpart on the opposite bank will measure 90 m. The piers have cross-sections of 20.5 x 6.0 m and 20.5 x 5.5 m respectively, and remain constant for the entire height.
In Japan, bridge piers are mainly built using scaffolding. For the Numata River Bridge, however, the JV partners Kajima and Shimizu opted for another technique as well - one that has proved itself highly satisfactorily on countless construction sites in other countries.
Günther Stolz, Doka project manager: "The Project Superintendent decided to build two of the smaller piers conventionally, using scaffolding. On the taller piers, though, we had the opportunity of demonstrating the advantages of SKE climbing technology. The site crew were especially impressed by the system's 'migrating workplace'."
19 casting sections are needed for the 90 m tall pier. Each section is "climbed" using 16 automatic climbers and takes two weeks to complete. This is because the constant risk of earthquakes means that the concrete has to meet special specifications, for which the formwork has to stay closed for 4 days. A 24 m high SKE scaffold enables the crew to place the reinforcements for both the next sections even while the preceding section is still being poured. The Project Superintendent, Mr. Todokoro, is so enthusiastic about the concept and the technical consulting provided by Doka that – in his own words – he "...will definitely want to work with Doka again on
the next project".
|
|
|
Doka supervising foreman Andreas Pils with the Japanese Project Superintendents Yasuaki Todokoro and
Kazutoshi Gejo. |
|
|
|
|
Contractors: Joint Venture Kajima and Shimizu
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Articles |
|
|
 |
|
)
)
