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Realization of main drive of floodgate
Demako is a one-stop shop for mechanical drives for bridges, locks and other structures. They have everything they need to realize a project from A to Z: their own engineering department, a welding and machine hall and in-house assembly. Managing director Thomas Beckx: "We have a lot of knowledge partly thanks to the variety of exceptional projects, such as the third column at the Beatrix locks, the Kieldrecht lock in Antwerp and the new connecting bridge in Zeebrugge. As far as we are concerned, the Afsluitdijk fits into this list of exceptional projects."
For the renewal of the Afsluitdijk, the Belgian company had two assignments: the realization of the main drive for the floodgate at Kornwerderzand including the under rollers and rails, and in addition they are building the emergency drive for the floodgate. "The floodgate itself is a large steel door of 950 tons, 56 meters wide and 15 meters high," Beckx explains. "This door is pulled open and closed by a cable work. The door itself rests on two under rollers on the bottom of the passageway which act as wagon sets running on rails. Given the weight and required design life, special extra-hard and tough steel was chosen for the tracks which are fully supported by cast-in-place steel sections." Demako's experience in building many different types of structures allows them to apply different methods, systems and principles from other assignments within the Afsluitdijk project. "In other words, we can therefore introduce new systems that already have a proven track record in other projects, such as the rail-wheel design."
Sustainability and safety aspects play an important role in both the design process and implementation. "Among other things, we are focusing on recycling of consumables. For the long-term operation of the lock, we are trying to ensure that it is as maintenance-friendly as possible. We already take this into account in the design. For example, the choice of a maintenance-free sleeve bearing or ball bearing can make a world of difference for the operation phase in terms of costs, but certainly also in terms of consumption and thus the impact on the environment. Safety is also already included in the design process. And on our yard itself, inspections, toolboxes and Last Minute Risk Assessments (LMRA) are carried out."
According to Beckx, Demako's strength lies in cross-disciplinary thinking. "With the design team from Levvel and HSM, we got to work. The expertise of Levvel's design team provided discussions that always led to a 'best for project' solution. All involved were very constructive to overcome challenges. As far as Demako is concerned, we can therefore certainly speak of a successful collaboration with lively discussions."
