The Safety Barrier from a Slipform Paver
During the construction of an in-situ concrete safety barrier in Suzhou, China, by offset paving, the Wirtgen SP 15 impressed with outstanding quality and efficiency
Suzhou (Anhui Province), China – a number of demanding project requirements had to be fulfilled during the construction of concrete safety barriers on a highway bridge in Suzhou (China). Aside from strict safety requirements, these also included making the surface of the concrete safety barrier as smooth as possible. A project just made for the compact Wirtgen SP 15 concrete paver. It not only fulfilled the demands for premium paving quality, but also those regarding the cost-efficiency of the process.
The SP 15 paved the concrete over a preplaced reinforcement cage. The steel construction lends the safety barrier additional stability and crash resistance.
Paving of Safety Barriers over a Distance of 2,300 m
Construction project in the city of Suzhou (pop. 5.7 million) in China’s Anhui Province: Lead contractor Henan Yuyong paved safety barriers with a length of around 2,300 m along both sides of a newly built highway. The paving team constructed the barriers from wet concrete by offset paving with a Wirtgen SP 15 slipform paver. The tight completion deadline could not have been achieved using formwork and manually-poured concrete.
The safety barriers were constructed along a section of the highway passing through a suburban area and crossing the Beijing-Shanghai rail link and the Tuohe River on two bridges. This meant that a major part of the concrete safety barriers was paved on the bridges, which amounts to around 1,450 m of the overall distance.
First-class paving results: The SP 15 didn’t just pave the concrete – it also compacted it and made sure it had the required visually appealing surface finish.
The SP 15 Slipform Paver Uses the Offset Method for Concrete Paving
Machine-paving of safety barriers with Wirtgen offset slipform pavers has numerous advantages. The offset paving process is more cost-efficient than manual pouring of concrete in rigid formwork or the use of prefabricated concrete elements. Offset means that the paving mold is mounted on the left or right side of the slipform paver. This enables the machines like the Wirtgen SP 15(i) to pave not only roadways, paths, and traffic infrastructure surfaces, but also high monolithic profiles such as safety barriers. The enormous diversity of possible profiles makes the machines ideal for a wide range of applications and assures high machine utilization rates.
The Wirtgen SP 15(i) slipform paver also reliably masters a whole range of challenging tasks. To ensure that nothing was left to chance on the highway construction site in Suzhou, the paving team from Henan Yuyong completed a number of contracts beforehand with the offset slipform paver and thoroughly tested the machine before the project began. Prior to the project, the machine had already impressed the team not only with its precision machine control system, which assured process reliability and exact steering, but also with the high quality of the paving results. At the same time – assisted by cross-slope control – the electronic steering and drive system reduced the paving team’s workload by automatically compensating for unevenness. A further option, AutoPilot 2.0, a machine control system developed by Wirtgen for stringless paving, assured highest precision and efficiency.
Highlights of the Wirtgen SP 15(i) Slipform Paver
Versatile SP 15(i) Concrete Paver for a Wide Range of Applications
The Wirtgen SP 15(i) is an extremely versatile offset slipform paver that is the ideal choice for the paving of a wide range of concrete structures. Its paving mold can be laterally shifted by means of a hydraulically-activated telescoping suspension mount. This enables profile paving between or to the side of the three track units. To a great extent, the independently steerable, height-adjustable, hydrostatically-driven track units, the slipform paving mold, and the concrete feeding system are freely positionable. Even more versatility is offered by the single, mechanically, or optionally hydraulically, positionable rear track unit. When paving safety barriers, as in Suzhou, the paver is frequently positioned close to the barrier being paved, which improves the stability of the concrete paver.
The compact offset slipform paver is suitable for an extremely broad spectrum of applications. Thanks to its ability to pave a wide range of profile geometries, the SP 15(i) is the ideal choice for cost-efficient and precise paving of structures such as curbs, gutters, drainage channels, and drains, as well as safety barriers. Uniform and correct compaction of the concrete is essential for assuring the structural integrity, high strength and surface quality of the monolithic profiles. To ensure this, up to five vibrators can be positioned inside the offset mold. Machine users can choose either hydraulic or electric vibration. Thanks to its compact dimensions, the offset slipform paver is ideal for use on sites with restricted space and easy to transport from site to site.
“The SP 15 impresses with a state-of-the-art machine concept, compact construction, and outstanding performance. The precision of the paving results is also excellent.”
Site Manager of the project in Suzhou
The SP 15 Ensures That the Experienced Team Delivers On Time
Lead contractor Henan Yuyong has many years of experience in working with concrete on road construction projects. The team is visibly impressed by their Wirtgen SP 15 slipform paver: “The SP 15 impresses with a state-of-the-art machine concept, compact construction, and outstanding performance. The smart electronic steering and control technology is extremely sensitive, and that’s what guarantees the outstanding precision of the paving results.” The building inspectors responsible for the project couldn’t have agreed more. They approved and signed off the in situ paved concrete safety barrier without raising a single objection.