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ABSTRACT: The incremental launching method for concrete structures was first
developed in the early 196CS. Since then it has spread all over the world.
Bridges constructed by this method are cast in segments behind an abutment
in a stationary form against a previously cast segment of the bridge girder. The
whole superstructure is then longitudinally jacked forward incrementally to
make room for the next segment in the stationary form. This method combines
the advantages of precasting with those of cast-in-place methods, resulting in
a high concrete quality and low costs. Remarkable achievements of incremen-
tally launched bridges the to data are: Longest continuous superstructure [3,809
ft (1,161 m)]; longest span in final stage [551 ft (168 m)]; longest span during
launching with auxiliary stays on top [436 ft (133 m)]; and a strongly curved
bridge superstructure in plan with a radius of 492 ft (150 m). The incremental
launching method has also been applied to buildings; e.g. across railway tracks.
A new potential application is the construction of underwater tunnels. The
main savings are achieved by the reduced labor and equipment expenditure.
INTRODUCTION
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GENERAL OUTLINE
Concrete
mixing
Launching
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has a special friction element on top. The vertical jack lifts the super-
structure slightly for launching. The horizontal jack then moves the su-
perstructure horizontally. After the piston of the horizontal jack has
moved one stroke [~10 in. (—254 mm)] away from the abutment, the
vertical jack is reset and brought back into its original position by the
horizontal jack.
The girder slides over the piers on temporary launching bearings (Fig.
8), made of high strength concrete, or of a structural steel frame filled
with concrete. On top of these elements, polished teflon-steel-neoprene
plates slide on the stainless steel sheets. In a repeating cycle, the plates
are first inserted in the launching direction and, after having moved
with the girder over the launching bearing, are removed to be inserted
again. The friction coefficient for these plates is approximately 2%-3%,
if properly lubricated.
Lateral guides connected to the launching bearings ensure the correct
position of the girder in plan.
In order to remove the temporary bearings after launching, jacks are
TASKS MO TU WE TH FR SA SU
1 PRESTRESSING 1
2 LOWERING OF FORMS a
3 LAUNCHING BY ONE SEGMENT
t INSTALLATION OF OUTER FORMS
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1
5 GROUTING OF TENDONS 1
6 REINFORCING OF BOTTOM SLAB AND WEBS
7 PLACING OF LONGITUDINAL TENDONS 11
6 INSTALLATION OF INSIDE WEB FORMS
9 CASTING OF BOTTOM SLAB AND WEBS
10 REMOVAL OF INNER WEB FORMS
11 INNER ROADWAV SLAB FORM E
12 REINFORCEMENT AND TENDONS FOR ROADWAY SLAB
13 CONCRETING OF ROADWAY SLAB
U CURING OF ROADWAY SLAB ¥
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FIG. 6.—Weekly Cycle
front end of the girder. Its length is approximately 60% of the regular
span of the bridge during construction. As the bottom chord of the
launching nose has to take the support pressure from the launching
bearings continuously over its entire length, its web is generally built
as a plate girder with a thickened web above the bottom chord.
The tip of the launching nose is deflected downward when approach-
ing a pier. At its front end a jack is installed, which acts on the sliding
bearing on the pier in such a way that the cantilever tip is pushed up-
ELEVATION
Central prestress
Curved
web
tendons
Reinforcing Thread
Stress steei
with spacers
Prepakt concrete
Roughened surface
1. New segments are cast directly against the already completed ones,
which results in a smooth surface, watertightness, and uniform distri-
bution of stresses.
2. All joints are crossed by reinforcement for crack control.
3. All tendons cross the joints and are bonded to the girder. As most
of the straight tendons and all curved tendons are continuous across the
joints, only about 25% of the tendons are coupled there. The integrity
of the joints is thus preserved.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
The envelopes of positive and negative moments are given in Fig. 14.
They are valid for equal inner spans and end spans with 85% of the
lengths of the inner spans. Moments due to unequal pier settlements
and temperature differentials between top and bottom slabs are not
included.
The launching nose is assumed to have a length of 60% of the inner
spans. The tensile stresses created by these moments in the top and
bottom slabs can only be counteracted by concentric straight prestress-
• D i r e c t i o n of launching
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methods since the stationary form has to be built only once and the
fabrication is highly mechanized. For single spans distinctly longer than
the typical spans local thickening of the bottom slabs can be added after
launching.
Bridges constructed by the incremental launching method should be
straight or constantly curved in plan and elevation. Slight deviations in
plan can be accomodated by varying the widths of the cantilevers; de-
viations in elevation can be overcome by building up concrete wedges
underneath the webs for launching only. Bridges with a change of cur-
vature somewhere in the middle have been launched with different radii
from each abutment or from the center to both ends, which would be
finally connected with a center-joint.
The ratio between the depth of the girder and the largest span during
launching (taking into account auxiliary piers) for a well-balanced cross-
section should be as follows:
ECONOMICAL ADVANTAGES
FIQ. 15.—Bridge Aeross Val Rtstel, Italy, Curved with R = 482 ft (150 m)
These quantities are for regular bridges with spans of about 150 ft
(46 m).
Incrementally launched bridges, if properly planned and correctly ex-
ecuted, grant the owners lower first costs than any other segmental con-
crete bridge construction method because they require less support
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FIG. 17.—Wfirth Bridge, Erection Stag® after Transverse Shifting of the First
Bridge Girder
FIG. 18.—Shatt Al-Arab Bridge, Iraq, Concrete Swing Bridge Launched Together
with Girder
531
The longest superstructure launched from one side to date is the Aich-
tal Bridge near Stuttgart, West Germany, with a total length of 3,809 ft
(1,161 m). Fig. 11 describes the bridge further.
An incrementally launched bridge strongly curved in plan is the one
across the Val Restel River (7) in Italy with a radius of 492 ft (150 m).
This is shown in Fig. 15.
During construction of the Mainflingen Bridge (6) in Germany the cen-
tral span of 436 ft (133 m) had to be kept completely free from any ob-
structions for the traffic on the Main River. Despite this restriction the
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Auxiliary piers
In meters
FIG. 20.—Wabash River Bridge, U.S.; First Application of the Incremental Launch
Ing Method in the U.S.
532
Germany. Its span is 551 ft (168 m). Three auxiliary piers were used in
the main span. After launching, the first superstructure was shifted
transversely to make room for the second one (Fig. 17).
The bridge across the Shatt Al-Arab (12) Iraq, comprises a swing span
(Fig. 18), which was cast and launched together with the remainder of
the bridge beam.
The superstructure of the Neckarburg Bridge (1,15) near Stuttgart,
West Germany, was launched on piers which rest on a concrete arch
(Fig. 19).
In 1977 the Wabash River Bridge (3,5) near Covington, Indiana was
built using the incremental launching method for the first time in the
U.S. (Fig. 20).
Even cable-stayed bridges can be built using the incremental launch-
ing method if auxiliary piers can be placed during construction. In the
final stage, these auxiliary piers are replaced by the stay-cables. The
Metten Bridge across the Danube River in East Germany with a main
span of about 476 ft (145 m) was constructed in this manner (10). Other
bridges of this type are in the planning stage.
533
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-built of Hooted and sunken tunnel-
elements
der. The grid was then launched incrementally in the direction of the
longitudinal girders (Fig. 21).
Due to the limited space available in city centers, parking garages,
department stores, etc. are being constructed across railroad tracks in
the vicinity of railway stations. One special requirement for these struc-
tures is that their construction should interfere as little as possible with
the railway traffic underneath. This can be achieved by launching their
main load-bearing members across the tracks. The first example has
been realized across the tracks of the Main Railway Station in Basel,
Switzerland (14). Several other applications are in the planning stage.
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direction of launching launching jacks
air-side
(construction pit)
water pressure -
direction of launching
launched from both ends; it is then possible to have two radii. Combin-
ing other methods can be advantageous, e.g. with tunnel elements
floated out and sunk into position (Fig. 22).
The tunnel can be launched in a dredged trench or, if the water is too
deep, over piers built under water, rather widely apart. Piles or shallow
foundations can be used in the dredged trench, or the tunnel can be
supported continuously on sand or gravel with a thin layer of bentonite.
Temporary cross walls can be built to form cells, which can be more
or less filled with water to obtain precise equilibrium between dead
weight and buoyancy. It is important to control the geometry of the tube
during construction constantly and precisely.
Construction is carried out inside a cofferdam with a sealing door
through which the tunnel is pushed. The door has a double seal of neo-
prene and steel (Figs. 23 and 24).
If the tunnel is launched from both banks, closure of the tunnel is
straightforward, with the two ends being pressed against each other by
the launching equipment. Eventually, the steel seal is completed by a
welded strip at the air-side and by injection with epoxy.
537