ALE completes aqueduct launch in Argentina
25 July 2017
Heavy lift specialist ALE has announced it has successfully completed the incremental launch of a concrete aqueduct in the Province of Córdoba, Argentina.
The aqueduct comprised of 44 voussoir sections and reached a total length of 1,100 metres. A typical incremental section measured 25 metres long and weighed 250 tonnes. On average, one incremental section was launched every ten days and the job took ALE eight months to complete. According to ALE, the 23rd voussoir section, which was launched in June 2017, weighed 5,750t and measured 575m long.
Each incremental section was launched by linking it on its back and moved using two 200t strand jacks and two 190t jacking systems. Once the manoeuvre was complete, a new section was constructed and the ALE equipment linked it on its back again. Every manoeuvre took almost five hours to be complete, ALE said.
Hernan Asensio, ALE project manager, commented, “This project represented a huge challenge for us, considering the sheer weight and dimensions of the structure. We are very proud to have been involved in such a landmark project.”
