A large numbers of bridges, flyovers and elevated MRTS structures are being constructed all over the country for better and faster commuting. They also provide connectivity to different parts of the city in a country which needs fast transport system. Schwing Stetter equipment are being deployed in building many bridge stuctures in India.
Some of the concreting solutions from Schwing Stetter are:*  Selection of equipment for batching, transporting and placing as per project requirements*  Use of RVMs for concrete transfer from shore to offshore*  Mounting option for batching plant, transit mixer, and separate placing boom on barge and on lattice frame*  Use of minimum space required for setting up Schwing boom placer which is useful in traffic as well as casting yards*  Pipeline placing and cleaning systems for cast yard, offshore and high structure application.
Bridge construction is most complicated because of unexpected difficulties faced during construction in challenging conditions, especially during concreting. The latest trends and developments in design and technology have lead to many challenges during the construction of bridges.
Challenges faced in bridge concretingThe quality and reliability of the concrete is crucial to safe construction and lifespan of the bridges. To ensure the same, different ingredients of concrete have to be mixed homogenously to produce a perfect mix of concrete and place in short span of time. Bridge concreting is done using concrete mix up to M80 grade and critical requirements like casting blocks need maximum strength in minimum possible time for pre-stressed or post-tension casting.
Some of the other issues and challenges in concreting of bridges are stiff consistency concrete producing, placing concrete girders using cranes (e.g. metro projects) on heavily crowded roads, and transportation and laying of concrete pipes on sea or river for concrete placement. To overcome these concreting difficulties, Schwing Stetter India not only manufactures different types of advanced concreting equipment but also provides various concreting solutions.
Equipment usedThe most commonly used Schwing Stetter equipment to place concrete for bridge projects are batching plants CP30 and M1, which provide a homogenous mix of concrete; concrete pumps like BP350, SP1800 and BP3500 which are designed with two valve technologies; and flat gate valve (FGV) and rock valve which enable smooth conveying of concrete to long distances and help pump stiff mixes for casting.
Transit mixer (6 cubic metres) is usually used to transport concrete for bridge constructions. These cost-effective transit mixers come with modern design and simple handling. Separate placing boom – 28 metre to 42 metre and boom placer – 17 metre to 36 metre are used for faster completion of concrete placement. These equipment take on the challenges posted by the bridge projects.
Concreting solutionsSchwing Stetter India’s team of concrete experts look into the depth of the problems and guide the customer on easy concreting. Customers call Schwing Stetter India right away to discuss the project before the commencement of construction and to find the possible concrete placing solutions for complicated projects. The team provides the best solution which would make the most sense and would be cost effective. Schwing Stetter India has a complete system approach, helping the customer from the beginning of the project.
Bridge projectsSchwing Stetter India has contributed in many critical and landmark bridge projects in India. The different types of bridge projects where Schwing Stetter equipment are used are beam or girder type bridges (regular), cable stayed bridge like Bandra-Worli Sea Link, suspension bridges like bridge over the Ganges in Kolkata, elevated highway bridge like Pune Kothrud Bypass, Bangalore elevated highway bridge and rail bridge for metro and monorail projects in Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kochi and Wadala, and Vallarpadam Railway Bridges in Kochi.
Schwing Stetter India has also done bridge projects like Hebbal Flyover in Bangalore, Kosi River Bridge in Assam, White House Bridge in Navi Mumbai, and Delhi Gate Bridge and Sayan Bridge in Surat.