HEAVY LIFTING CASE STUDIES

In the mid 1990’s, a new castle built on the foundations of a 17th-century fortress, started subsiding – the foundation was too weak to support the massive castle. The only way to save it, was to reinforce the foundation. Sinking piles into the ground for extra support was not an option: there simply was not enough space and it would disturb the ground too much, resulting in more damage. Therefore another approach was needed: fit the foundation with supporting poles.

The Process

1. Steel tubes were drilled into the ground on both sides of the castle wall. At the same time a mixture of cement and water was pumped in. Thus, the soil was not being removed, but blended with the mixture.
2. When the tubes were drilled in deep enough, a hole was drilled in the wall.
3. A steel H-profile was positioned through it, resting on the tubes. On top of this, a load-spreading plate was fixed.
4. By means of hydraulic cylinders, the H-beam was put under pressure.
5. The resulting gap between the tubes and the beam was filled up with steel plates.
6. The surrounding floor and any gaps in the wall were filled up with concrete.

Result

A fully supported, stable and safe structure. The wall and surrounding areas showed no indication of the work undertaken.[/read]

(Düsseldorf, Germany)

Sliding roofs of sports arenas e.g. soccer stadiums, are commonly carried by a pillar construction. Thorough inspection sometimes proves that this is too weak to support the entire roof, which was the case with the Rhein Arena. The contracting company used Holmatro cylinders to lift the roof, in order to reinforce the pillars. The type of cylinders used was lock nut cylinders, each with a capacity of 250 tons.

A lock nut cylinder does not only lift loads, it is also designed to hold, stabilise and mechanically secure loads for a longer period of time. The lock nut is located on the threaded plunger and can be screwed down as soon as the load has been lifted to the desired level. Then the load is secured, which means that the pressure can be taken off the system. This makes the lock nut cylinder the only type of cylinder that eliminates the need for a separate support system (e.g. wooden beams stacked up between ground level and the uplifted object, to hold it in place).

(Rotterdam, Holland)

During construction, the lifting shed on top, was a real eye catcher! It was a construction plant, built on top of the fourth level of the high rise. On this platform all the necessary activities involved in building a complete floor within one week, took place. When one floor was completed, the shed was lifted in order to facilitate construction of the next floor. The lifting of the construction shed was executed by means of Holmatro’s high capacity, double-acting cylinders with hydraulic return.