A record-breaking railway-highway bridge is being built in China
In China's Zhejiang province, the first pilot cable was pulled across the strait using a drone at the Sixoumen railway-highway bridge currently under construction. With a total length of 3,118 meters, the structure is expected to become the world's largest railway-highway bridge in terms of main span.
A rail-road bridge expected to set records is being built in China
According to Naked Science, a heavy-duty drone took off from the top of support tower No. 5, carrying a cable with a diameter of 2.5 millimeters and a length of 1,700 meters. The cable is made of high-strength Dyneema fiber.
The drone crossed the busy strait in 10 minutes and delivered the cable to the designated point on support tower No. 4. In this way, the two main supports on the shores of Cezi and Jintang islands were connected to each other.
This allows the start of the installation of the suspension catwalk necessary for the construction of the bridge. Later, the upper structures of the bridge will be assembled using this very catwalk.
The main part of the Xihoumen Bridge will be built using a combined cable-stayed and suspension design. The main span will be 1,488 meters, and the width of the bridge deck will be 68 meters.
According to the source, once construction is completed, it is expected to be the widest sea bridge in the world. The structure is also planned to set a record among bridges combining cable-stayed and suspension systems.
The project claims world records among rail-road bridges in terms of indicators such as the largest main span, the greatest width, and the tallest main support towers. The dimensions of the rock-anchored anchorage system and the bored pile foundation are also expected to be of record size.
The pilot cable will serve to pull subsequent hauling ropes and assembly elements across the bridge span. Helicopters, ships, or drones can be used for such tasks.
Strong winds, high waves, and intensive shipping in the Xihoumen water area complicate the construction. Therefore, specialists from Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway and China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group compared various methods and chose to use a drone.
This method reduced preparation and aerial work time, allowing for a reduction in the duration of traffic restrictions on the international shipping route.