Enerpac SyncHoist Precise Positioning for Chilean Railway River Bridge

Leading Americas heavy lift contractor, Tecnogruas, has used an Enerpac SyncHoist synchronous hoist system to lift and precisely position concrete bridge beams for a new railway bridge over the Biobío river in central Chile. The SyncHoist allowed Tecnogruas to use a single crane for the tricky job of installing asymmetric-shaped bridge beams over a nearby commuter highway and rail track.

Replacing a bridge first built in 1889, the new railway bridge will connect the communes of Concepción and San Pedro de la Paz. When completed the 1.1 miles long, two-track ballasted bridge will allow trains to cross at speeds up to 62 mph and possibly accommodate double decker rolling stock.

Construction of the new railway bridge over the river involved the installation of a total of 62 steel reinforced concrete beams. Most of the beams over the river were installed using a beam launcher to lift and position the precast beams. Tecnogruas was responsible for installing 22 beams. Nineteen of the beams were positioned using two cranes, however the bridge’s largest three beams over the highway and railway could only be installed with one crane due to space restrictions.

After contacting Engineered Rigging to discuss the lifting options, Tecnogruas opted for an Enerpac SyncHoist to assist with manoeuvring and placing the three asymmetric-shaped beams weighing 118 T, 152 T, 185 T into position. Engineered Rigging supplied four Enerpac Synchronous Hoists with capacity of 414 T along with a diesel hydraulic SyncHoist pump and large 400-ton shackles.

During lifting operations, the SyncHoists were attached to the crane for lifting and positioning the beams allowing Tecnogruas engineers to level each beam before swinging it into position. Using SyncHoists ensured the beams were positioned correctly, both safely and efficiently, as well as saving the time of unnecessary lifting and changing of rigging.

Enerpac SyncHoist – Precision Positioning

The SyncHoist synchronous hoist system is a below-the-hook sling adjuster (hydraulic turnbuckle). The standard Enerpac SyncHoist range includes cylinders with 60.5, 93.5 and 121 T lifting capacities and plunger strokes of 39.4 and 59 inches with high precision lifting accuracy of +/- 0.04 inches over the full stroke. A single operator controls and oversees the entire hoisting job, using a portable wireless control unit for remote control of all cylinders. In addition to synchronous lifting and lowering, the operator can lift and lower each cylinder independently for balancing, tilting and positioning loads.