Stainless steel pull cable is essential link in jointless transitions

Constructed structures in provincial and highways increasingly use jointless transitions where the abutment is structurally connected to the deck. Stainless steel pull cables form an essential link in this process. Carl Stahl supplies these robust tensile cables as a ready-made product to road builders, fully compliant with the technical specifications as prescribed by the Department of Public Works.

Cracks may occur at the junction of the butt plates or floors of a structure with the abutment. Traditionally, joints have been used here, but increasingly jointless transitions are being made, where the various segments are joined together to form an integral structure. Stainless steel tensile cables are used to connect the butt plates, which lie in front of and behind a structure (concrete structure), to the rest of the concrete structure. The continuous structure is then more resistant to temperature fluctuations, vibrations and deformations. This in turn leads to longer service life, less maintenance, less noise pollution and higher aesthetic value.

Custom stainless steel pull cables

With a jointless transition, there is minimal space between the abutment and the deck. The dilation between the deck and abutment keeps the concrete from cracking and the stainless steel pull cables, in turn, keep the deck and abutment from alternating/sinking, keeping everything in place. Specifically for the jointless transitions, Carl Stahl produces these stainless steel pull cables in custom lengths of 3.50 meters. According to Department of Public Works regulations, the cable is 22 mm in diameter and consists of 1×19 wires twisted around each other. It makes for a pretty stiff construction that does not bend easily. Next, a Denso tape is applied in the middle of the cable over a length of 600 mm in a protective plastic shrink sleeve, intended to absorb stresses due to rotation in the deck. All these preparations result in a complete and ready-to-use product for the road builder.

Value-added wholesale

Carl Stahl is a leading specialized wholesaler at home and abroad with headquarters in Germany. The company has been in existence since 1880 and has built up considerable knowledge and expertise worldwide in the processing of stainless steel cables, which are thus supplied to the Dutch market completely custom-made for the road construction industry. In addition to stainless steel pull cables, Carl Stahl also supplies the infrastructure sector with stainless steel grab lines along quay walls, with or without a plastic coating, cables to prevent resonance at bridges, and stainless steel cable nets as fencing and/or fall protection around infrastructure and parking garages. And here too, Carl Stahl is happy to work with you on specific applications or ideas.