Archive for Towers

Elevator Test Tower

August 22, 2020 Buildings, Elevator Shafts, Towers Comments Off on Elevator Test Tower
Atlanta, Georgia, United States – Elevator Shaft

Brasfield & Gorrie was hired by ThyssenKrupp Elevator Company to construct a new elevator test tower in Atlanta, GA. At 400 ft / 121m it is the tallest such tower in the Western Hemisphere. To speed completion, the team chose the slipform method of construction. With outside tower dimensions of 74 ft x 56 ft, it took about eight weeks of continuous slipforming to complete the tower. This saved close to three months of construction time compared to other construction methods. Brasfield & Gorrie hired Gleitbau GmbH for the slipform works, the leading slipform company in the world today.

Elevator Test Tower
New Elevator Test Tower – ThyssenKrupp

The slipform design had to accommodate nearly 190 openings and more than 3,300 embedded plates for interior and exterior structural steel framing. A continuous concrete supply of at least 5.5 cy per hour was needed to keep the slipforming on track. The concrete was bucketed to the work point by tower crane, which was also used for delivering the rebar, embeds and other supplies. The 4 ft tall slipform was hydraulically lifted by about an inch every 15 minutes. Soon, the tower began to rise at a rate of about 7.5 ft per day, with an average of 30 workers on the platform at any one time. The process was completed in 54 days with no recordable safety incidents. For a detailed ENR Report on this elevator test tower, please click here.

Elevator Test Tower
Slipform Work Platform

Gleitbau GmbH is a leading slipform contractor in North America and around the world, executing more than 100 slipform projects per year. The company was founded in 1961 and became an industry leader during the 1970s and 1980s through its offshore work in the North Sea. Gleitbau GBG typically supplies the slipform system, engineering, concrete mix design, geometry control and technical supervision, mostly to general contractors. Heavy lifting services are also provided, many times in conjunction with slipforming. For more information, please contact Michael Veegh

Tapered Rectangular Conical Structure

October 22, 2018 Bridges, Chimneys, Towers Comments Off on Tapered Rectangular Conical Structure
Shin Seoncheong, South Korea – Tapered Rectangular Chimney

Global Chimneys Co. Ltd. hired Gleitbau GmbH of Salzburg Austria, to slipform this new chimney structure. The sliding operation was performed during 2017. The tapered rectangular shape makes for a unique and spectacular tower-like structure, made possible by the latest advances in slipform technology. The overall height is 148 m and the base dimensions of 20 m x 20 m taper off to 12 m x 12 m at the top. The wall thickness reduces from 0.90 m at the bottom to 0.35 m at the top.

Tapered Tower
Tapered Rectangular Chimney – Height 148 m

While this particular structure is a chimney, its shape could equally be applied to a tall bridge pier, especially in regions with high seismic activity. The tapered shape would increase the flexural stiffness of such a pier, reduce transverse superstructure deflections and enhance the dynamic performance of the overall bridge. Slipforming is the only building method that can economically produce such a tapered, rectangular shape. The technology was developed and perfected for the slip form construction of offshore gravity base structures and then extended to include almost any kind of vertical concrete structure.

Some basic drawings about the slip form system of construction can be found here. Slipforming has proven to be a very dynamic and capable technology, rapidly adapting to changing market needs and able to create structures that were unthinkable just a few years ago.

Gleitbau GmbH is a leading slipform contractor in North America and around the world, executing more than 100 slipform projects per year. The company was founded in 1961 and became an industry leader during the 1970s and 1980s through its offshore work in the North Sea. Gleitbau GBG typically supplies the slipform system, engineering, concrete mix design, geometry control and technical supervision, mostly to general contractors. Heavy lifting services are also provided, many times in conjunction with slipforming. For more information, please contact Michael Veegh.

New Solar Tower

May 12, 2016 Solar, Towers Comments Off on New Solar Tower
Solar Tower
Ashalim Solar Thermal Station with 240 m Tower. Image by Megalim Solar Power Ltd.
New Solar Tower – Negev Desert, Israel

The world’s tallest solar tower at 787 ft will be built this year in the Negev Desert, Israel. 50,600 computer-controlled mirrors surrounding the tower will track the sun and point the energy to the top of the tower, where superheated steam will be produced for driving a turbine. When finished, the tower and mirrors will be able to produce 121 MW of power. The $800 million project is being built by a joint venture company owned by Brightsource Energy (25%), GE Alstom (25%) and NOY Infrastructure & Energy Investment Fund (50%).

The developer-builder of this project, Megalim Solar Power Ltd, hired Gleitbau GmbH to slipform the tower shaft to a height of 200 m. After that, the 2500 ton boiler will be lifted into place to complete the tower.

Some basic drawings of the slipforming process can be found here.

Gleitbau GmbH is a leading slipform company in North America and the world, executing from 80 to 100 slipform projects every year. The company was formed in 1961 and is active in most construction sectors. For more information, please contact Michael Veegh.

Cable Car Towers

May 3, 2016 Cable Cars, Towers Comments Off on Cable Car Towers

Cable Car Transportation Complex, Vietnam

cable cars tower

Conical tower slipforming with 15 degree incline, by Gleitbau GmbH.

Shown above are the three-legged towers for the Queen Cable Car aerial tramway installation in Ha Long, Vietnam. This record-setting cable car system is part of the Ocean Park Project in the Bai Chay area. The project aims to boost tourism in Ha Long Bay.

Completed in 2015, the aerial tramway sports massive 230 passenger cabins and concrete support towers up to 185 m tall. The individual tower legs start out with a diameter of either 4.0 m or 5.0 m, tapering all the way to the top. They also maintain a constant wall thickness of 0.35 m along their height. The maximum inclination is 15 degrees from vertical.

To build the record-setting cable car towers, the owner and general contractor, Sun Group of Vietnam, hired Gleitbau GmbH for slipforming the conical legs of the towers. Gleitbau GmbH slipformed two towers with three legs each, and also provided the heavy lifting services required for erecting the precast strut triangles, which stabilize the tower legs.

Gleitbau GmbH is a world leader in slipform construction, executing between 80 to 100 slipform projects every year. They work all over the world, including North America, providing customized slipform equipment, engineering, geometry control and supervision to general contractors and owners. For more information, please contact Michael Veegh.

cable car towers

Conical tower slipforming and heavy lifting of precast strut triangles for stabilizing the tower legs.

Conical Chimney

March 30, 2016 Chimneys, Towers Comments Off on Conical Chimney

Taean, South Korea

Conical Chimney in Taean, South Korea

Conical Chimney in Taean, South Korea

Completed in 2014, this conical chimney stands 146 m / 479 ft tall. The bottom diameter measures 32 m, the intermediate (minimum) diameter is 21 m and the top diameter is 27.3 m. This chimney is part of the STX Bukpyung Power Plant in South Korea.

The general contractor, Gangnae Co. hired Gleitbau GmbH for the slipforming of the chimney. Gleitbau supplied the customized slipform system and onsite supervision, including geometry control. This is one of dozens of chimneys built by Gleitbau. They are the only company in the world that routinely slipforms conical concrete structures such as this chimney.

Gleitbau GmbH is the technical leader in vertical concrete slipform construction, executing between 80 and 100 slipform projects every year. They work all over the world, including North America. Gleitbau typically supplies slipform equipment, engineering, geometry control and related heavy lifting services to general contractors. For more information, please contact Michael Veegh.