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The STAR at the viaduct
A cycle path is being created on a disused stretch of railway: as part of the conversion of the Edersee railway between Korbach and Buhlen, work and support scaffolding was assembled to allow repair of the Selbach Viaduct that forms part of this railway. The use of the new STAR Frame from Layher set a shining example thanks to the time saved during assembly.
In the beautiful and hilly landscape of the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature and National Park in the state of Hesse, the disused railway track of the former Edersee railway has since 2008 been undergoing conversion into a cycle path in five stages. To construct the 26 kilometre long Edersee Railway cycle path, costing more than 10 million euros, 40 bridges and tunnels along the old track will need to be repaired. These include Selbach Viaduct, built in 1910 – designated by the local road and traffic authorities in Bad Arolsen as plain "Structure 26". At their behest, the Korbach-based construction company Fr. Fisseler GmbH & Co. KG has since May 2009 been building a surface for the new cycle path at a height offering an excellent view, in a partnership with Torkret AG from Essen. Built at the same time as the nearby Eder Dam, the 28 meter high and 150 meter long viaduct is by far the largest structure on the old railway line. The 100-year old and seven-arched railway bridge crosses – among other features – the longest tributary stream to the river Werbe, the Reiherbach. Railway traffic was however discontinued in 1995. For its new lease in life, this arched natural stonework bridge, which was damaged during the war and is now a listed monument, is being repaired and converted. To construct the cycle path, the track bed will be cleared of its ballast, filled with concrete and then topped with a reinforced covering slab.
This work required a work and support scaffolding structure with sealing. That presented an exciting challenge to Mecketh Höhentechnik GmbH from Paderborn, a company well known for 25 years as an expert in putting up scaffolding around churches and industrial plant. "But it wasn't only the structure that was a premiere for us", say the owners Joachim Mecketh and Gerold Aselmann, who added: "We also tested in this scaffolding construction job a new product from the system scaffolding specialist Layher: the STAR Frame." To give the work and support scaffolding a secure footing, assembly of the scaffolding was preceded by extensive foundation work, particularly around the bed of the Reiherbach stream. This was made more difficult by previously conducted excavation work. All six of the bridge's piers, its two abutments, the undersides of its arches and the inner arches of the viaduct were then enclosed with scaffolding. The entire scaffolding structure is 32,000 cubic meters, and some 300 tons of material were needed. Since this scaffolding is also used as support scaffolding for making the edge beams of the track, the scaffolding levels had to be arranged during the foundation work so that the scaffolding height at the end was exactly 40 centimeters below the edge beams with the scaffolding level. To protect against falling mortar fragments and crumbling stone, the scaffolding received as a "finish" a white packaging too: 8,500 square meters of sandblasting nets were added for this purpose, however only at those points where work was in progress. This minimizes the surface exposed to the wind. The structural strength calculations for this project were supplied by the consulting engineers Ingenieurbüro Heiner Hövelbrinks from Rüthen.
"To adapt the scaffolding optimally yet economically to the historic structure", the owners explain, "we trusted in Allround modular scaffolding in conjunction with the STAR Frame, an expansion component for the Allround series. We started at the inner sides of the piers with a core of Allround material completely stiffened using diagonal braces and adapted precisely to the dimensions of the pier. For the outer sides of the piers, we were now able to connect the STAR Frames to the Allround bays thanks to the attached rosettes without a break – meaning without special components. This STAR bay not only goes past the pier and connects up by its extension the two cores of Allround material, but also reaches up to the track level. By using the STAR Frame, which replaces three individual components, we were able to assemble more quickly, since fewer parts had to be moved. At the same time, the lower weight ensured fatigue-free working and hence faster assembly and dismantling, particularly when providing scaffolding over large surfaces. We were thus able to combine the flexibility of the modular system with the benefits of an assembly frame system. It's only around the guard rails at the transition from the Allround scaffolding to the STAR Frame where we see scope for optimization. However, Layher has already taken up this suggestion. For this project we simply used clampable rosettes. The Allround lattice beams from Layher could also be connected to the STAR Frame without special parts in order the bridge the gap. We were therefore able to complete the scaffolding from July onwards with an average of five employees and within eight weeks, on schedule for all the subsequent work and matched perfectly to the structure", says Mecketh with pride. The scaffolding will probably be in use until spring, and the completion of the Edersee Railway cycle path is scheduled for late in 2011.
In charge of PR enquiries or contacts with the press:
Ms. Andrea Beisswenger
E-Mail Andrea.Beisswenger@layher.com
Telephone +49 71 35 / 70-0
Fax +49 71 35 / 7070-422
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