Tower bridge lift solution

French hoist manufacturer Verlinde is carrying out a joint project with specialist lifting company Jonach to build an innovative bridge lifting system in Argentina.

The bridge will link the City of Tigre in Buenos Aires to Vila La Nata on the opposite side of the river. It will be raised about 20 times a day to allow ships to pass by.

The partnership has produced a tower system incorporating four 15 tonne capacity Verlinde Eurobloc VT electric hoists. They have two-speed pole-change hoisting motors with maintenance-free DC disc brakes. They are equipped with 4-step gear limit switches, overload protection and variable speed traveling motors.

The biggest challenge was to design a robust steel structure that could be safely moved 20 times a day, says David Joltac, manager of Jonach, which is part of Konecranes. "A very high reliability level is needed for such a project. The bridge will be used each day, and a breakdown must not be a possibility."