Erection of Steel Bridges:

The methods of erection of some temporary/semi-permanent steel

bridges such as Bailey or Callender-Hamilton have been illustrated
in Fig. 18.4 and 18.6. The same methods of erection are used in
many permanent steel bridges. The erection of steel truss bridges
may be done by using erection cranes. In Fig. 24.4(a), construction
of Howrah Bridge, a cantilever truss bridge and shown in Fig. 17.8.
The erection of the anchor span (where there was no water) was
done over false-work by creeper cranes. In the river portion, false
work was not possible as there was considerable depth of water and
as such the truss starting from the tower up to the centre of the
suspended span was erected by creeper cranes by cantilever
method of construction.

The anchor span held by the end tie provided the necessary
stability for the cantilever construction. A temporary tie was also
used at top chord level at the junction of the cantilever and
suspended span for cantilever construction of the suspended span.
ADVERTISEMENTS:

By this process, the cantilever span as well as the half length of the
suspended span were erected from both tower ends and the central
gap was closed. Thereafter, the suspenders were hung from the
nodal points of the bottom chord of the truss and the deck was
constructed over longitudinal girders and cross-girders supported
on suspenders.

Fig. 24.4(b) shows the construction of a simply supported truss

bridge also by cantilever construction method but here two derrick
cranes are simultaneously used on both sides of the pier and the
construction proceeds towards centre of span symmetrically from
stability consideration.

A temporary tie is used over the pier at top chord level for this
purpose. To construct some portion of the truss over the pier in
order to have a platform for the two working cranes, temporary
struts at bottom chords are used from wells or piers. This method
is similar to the cantilever construction of PSC bridges as shown in
Fig. 24.2.

Steel arch bridges in deep gorges (or in situations where centring

from bottom for erection purpose is not possible) may be
constructed by special cable hoisting system as shown in Fig.
24.4(c). A rope may be hoisted over temporary towers with the help
of helicopter.
Urther strengthening of the rope may be done by spinning
additional wires as in a suspension bridge. The components of the
arches may, therefore, be carried through this hoisted cable and the
arch bridge is constructed. This erection technique was adopted in
the steel arch bridge 500 m. long over the New River Gorge, near
Fayetteville, West Virginia, USA.
The suspension bridge erection as shown in Fig. 24.4(d)
consists of the following stages:
(i) Erection of towers and anchorages
ADVERTISEMENTS:

(ii) Providing cat walk

(iii) Spinning of the main cables and fixing them with the
anchorages and towers.

(iv) Erection of suspenders and stiffening truss

(v) Construction of flooring system.

After erection of the towers and completion of the anchorage

arrangement, a catwalk is provided with timber platform over
ropes which are placed concentric with main cables. A tramway
system is installed over the cat-walk for spinning the wires for the
cables.

At each anchorage, a spinning wheel is attached to the tramway

system. The spinning of the wires (which is known as “aerial
spinning”) is done by fastening the ends with the anchorages and
then making loops over the spinning wheels.

The spinning wheels are pulled along the catwalk and over the
towers to the opposite anchorages. The wires are then attached to
the anchorages and this procedure is repeated till all the wires of
the strand are carried over the towers to the anchorages.

The enure strand is then banded up at intermediate places. After

completing all the strands of the cables in the way as described, the
cable is compacted by squeezing to the form of a circular section.
Erection of Concrete Bridges:
Erection of concrete bridge generally means erection of prestressed
concrete bridges as erection of reinforced concrete bridges is rarely
done. However, one reinforced concrete arch bridge was erected in
Japan by means of a new construction method unprecedented in
the world as claimed.

This is the Hokawazu Bridge over Hokawazu Creek between

Chinzei and Genkai at Higashi-Matsuura County. The bridge has a
central span of 170 m’ with total length of 252 m and is the longest
R. C. arch bridge in Japan with floor level at 50 m above sea level.

A cantilever construction method was adopted in this bridge in

which the segments formed of an arch rib, struts and floor slab
were supported by prestressing steel bars and the over hanged
bodies extended their length in stages from both the banks towards
the centre until the last segment is placed at the centre (Fig. 24.5a).

Erection of PSC beams can be done by the use of gantry as shown

in Fig. 24.5(b). This method is suitable for land spans or in river
bed, where the dry weather flow is small and is limited to a very
small width of the bed. The height of erection is about 10 metres.

The erection of PSC beams in the approach viaduct of the second

Hooghly Bridge, Calcutta was done by the use of tilting derricks as
shown in Fig. 24.5c. Two derricks were used, one at each and of the
girder, to lift the girder over the pier.
These derricks were then tilted by releasing one of the guy ropes
and tightening the other very slowly and carefully keeping both the
guy ropes taut. The girder was then placed over the pier cap and
side-shifted to its actual position by usual process.

In deep water rivers where normal staging is not possible, the

erection of girders may be done by the use of launching truss. Fig.
24.6a shows such a scheme adopted for the construction of
Rupnarayan Bridge at Kolaghat on N. H. 6 (West Bengal).

The prestressed concrete girders, 46.0 metres in length between

centre line of bearings were cast and stressed on the approaches,
placed over two trolleys at two ends. The trolleys were than run
over rail lines and the girders were brought near the abutments
where a launching truss as shown in Fig. 24.6a was standing. Both
ends of the girder were lifted from the trolley simultaneously and
suspended from the bottom boom of the launching truss.

The suspenders had a pair of wheel at top resting on the bottom

boom through which the girders could be moved longitudinally. In
this way, the girders were brought over the first span and lowered
one by one by the use of sand jacks and side-shifted to their actual
position.

After the first span girders were launched, the rail track was
extended over the already launched girders and the launching truss
having a balancing tail truss with water tanks at the end was moved
to the next span.
The balancing truss maintained the stability of the launching truss
during its shifting to the next span. After the launching truss was
moved to the next span and fixed, the process of launching the
girders carried from the casting yard was repeated as before till all
girders of all spans were launched and side shifted in position.

Argentina’s Chaco-Corrientes Bridge linking the coastal part of the

country with the Western plains is a cable- stayed bridge using
precast concrete box-girder sections 3.5 m x 2.5 m forming the
bridge deck (Fig. 24.6b).

The portion of the deck between the inclined struts B to C was cast
in place to provide a for the erection of the precast box-girder
sections in the portions A to B and C to D. The precast box-girder
sections were cast in casting yard against each other for proper
matching.
The segments were floated to the site by barges, lifted by a crane,
placed on top of the already completed deck, placed against the
previously erected deck and prestressed. Each unit of the bridge
deck, i.e., C to D is supported by two sets of stay cables in each
cantilever span, i.e., eight sets for the entire unit considering both
towers.
In addition, four sets of temporary cables, though of smaller
strands, had to be used in each cantilever from each tower for the
facility of erection by cantilever construction method.
The Second Hooghly Bridge now under construction at Calcutta is
a cable-stayed bridge and the general arrangement of the bridge.
Similar to Howrah Bridge, the shore spans have been completed
over false-work in this bridge also (Fig. 24.6c).

Steel towers were erected by tower erection cranes which moved

vertically upwards along the towers as the latter’s erection
proceeded. Deck erection cranes lifted the steel main and cross-
girders from below and placed and fixed them in position over
false-work for the shore spans.

Thereafter, the concrete deck slab was Cast while the shore spans
were still supported over false-work. After the completion of the
towers and the shore spans, two pairs of inclined cables are fixed
from the tower to the shore and the main span simultaneously
starting from tower side cables.

While the cables are fixed to the shore spans which have been
completed over false-work, the main span cables support only the
main and cross-girders of one panel length which is lifted from the
floating barges by the deck erection cranes placed over completed
deck.

This panel length is then completed by casting the deck slab.

Thereafter, the deck erection crane is moved forward towards
centre, next unit of the main and cross-girders is lifted and fixed in
position being supported by the next set of inclined cables from the
tower and the deck slab is cast.

In this process, the entire main span is being completed by

cantilever construction method using inclined permanent cables as
supports and proceeding simultaneously from both the towers
towards the centre. As the main span cables increase in number
along with the construction of the deck, the shore span cables are
also added to bring the stability of the whole structural system.