Temporary steel bridges are widely used in bridge construction projects. Steel pipe piles are installed as load bearing foundations, and road crossing slabs are laid on them to transport materials and construction equipment for the building of the main bridge. Major bridges with a long construction period, also require steel temporary bridges that are large in scale and have a relatively long usage period. They can only be demolished after completion of the main bridge after a few years hard work, when the soil has settled and soil friction on the piles is at its highest.

Differing load bearing requirements and geological conditions mean that each trestle bridge must be individually designed. Pile length and diameter vary by project. Vibro hammer selection for the driving and extracting of these steel pipe piles is also different for each project. One constant for each project however is that contractors need to ensure that the demolishing process is fast and efficient. Shortening construction time is the key to making a project profitable!

This time we share an example of selecting a vibro to dismantle the steel temporary bridge in a highway project close to Wuhan. This highway has been completed for nearly two years. The trestle bridge used 630mm steel pipe piles with a wall thickness of 8mm and a length ranging from 12-15 meters. The bridge piles were installed with low-frequency electric hammers, but now it is not easy to remove these piles. The electric hammer used before can no longer get the piles out cost effectively! Since each span of the steel temporary bridge is nearly 12 meters apart, the vibro’s self-weight becomes the key parameter when selecting pile extraction equipment. Large heavy hammers will bring potential safety hazards, while small light hammers may have insufficient excitation force and pile extraction force to pull out the piles.

Xingtu Bridge’s construction crew has abundant experience and after a brief discussion of the geological conditions, the available crane equipment, and the span width of each bridge section with Shanghai ICE, ICE recommended the use of 416L to complete the task. The 416L hammer has a weight of 3.55 tons, a frequency of 1600 rpm, an exciting force of 64.5 tons, and an amplitude of 19.6 mm, which can overcome the soil friction and pull out the pile smoothly.

As expected, the 416L performed well on the construction site. Hoisted by an 80-ton crane, it bridged the 12 meters span effortlessly and smoothly pulled up steel pipe piles of 10-, 12-, and 15-meter lengths. The 416L hydraulic vibratory hammer is matched with a 242kw CAT 400 power pack. This purpose-built power pack ensures the hammer gets all the liters needed for top performance. The ICE 400’s low fuel consumption greatly reduces the construction cost; the standard wireless remote-control operation allows the operator to come close to the pile and optimize the hammers settings, and an average of 3-5 minutes was all it took to extract each steel pile. The production rate exceeded Xingtu Bridge’s expectations and shortened the construction period by nearly half a month!

With the large-scale application of steel temporary bridges, more and more steel pipe piles will be reused, and requirements for working efficiency and convenience will also bring upgrades to the construction equipment chosen for the job. Installation speed is important, but especially during the dismantling job it is essential to use a hydraulic vibratory hammer that offers the needed excitation force, a high frequency, and a light self-weight to achieve the efficiency needed to reduce project cost!

Shanghai ICE has been promoting the 416L, 815C, and 55NF models for the construction of temporary steel bridges. These models boast lowest in class self-weight and will greatly reduce the tonnage of cranes required for the construction of temporary steel bridges. This increases the construction span, and ensure the piles are driven and extracted efficiently. ICE hammers are powered by advanced hydraulic power packs, controlled by intelligent motor control systems. The equipment is easy to operate and has a low failure rate. Over and over ICE customers’ greatly reduced downtime has shortened construction periods and effectively reduced operation costs!

Do you have any difficulties in the construction of the temporary steel bridge? Please feel free to contact ICE to discuss your project’s needs.