VARIO for challenging concrete and geometrical requirements
Cost-effective construction of the twelve sets of piers in the foreshore area was provided by completely preassembled formwork sets on the basis of the VARIO GT 24 girder wall formwork. Adjusting to the different pier heights took place without the need of any time-consuming assembly work. The formwork solution fully met the very high concrete requirements whilst still maintaining the tight construction schedule. The PERI assembly service delivered pre-fabricated formwork elements including the rough-sawn board structure formwork directly to the site.
The Muldetal Bridge has an overall length of 528 m and consists of the main structure over the river itself and a foreshore section. The 313 m long prestressed concrete foreshore bridge is supported by twelve sets of piers positioned with 25 metre spacings in each case. The 215 m long main bridge is carried on two massive river piers and was built using the steel composite construction method. A dividing pier supports and connects the two different sub-structures.
In spite of the tight schedule, high concrete requirements still had to be fulfi lled. The formwork concept for the complicated and technically demanding pier constructions took into consideration not only the diffi cult geometrical forms but also ensured the best quality surface fi nishes with sharp edges as well as fl ush and tight formwork joints throughout.
Basis of the PERI solution was the skilful combination of VARIO standard elements with made-to-measure fi ller elements which was carried out using rentable standard components. The almost free choice of tie point confi guration allowed formwork arrangement and tie positioning as the client required and in agreement with the contractor.
Ready-to-use pre-assembled units could be easily positioned by the site crew which above all saved a lot of time. Particularly advantageous was the use of the VARIO VKS architectural concrete coupler which ensured neat and accurate plywood joints. For cost-effective construction of the octagonally- shaped pairs of piers - which open out at the top like a vase - found in the foreshore area, the contractor effi ciently used two sets of formwork for each pair.
“With the PERI formwork solution, we could maintain the tight schedule and fulfil the high architectural concrete requirements in the best possible way. The PERI ready-to-use pre-assembled formwork elements brought us considerable savings in both time and labour costs.”
The formwork for the 4.80 m to 5.90 m high foreshore piers could be adapted without any time-consuming assembly work being required which resulted in large time savings. This meant that work on the bridge superstructure could start earlier.
The likewise octagonal river piers feature both reverse and forward-inclined facings. In spite of the different heights and varying surface inclinations, only one formwork set was required for both piers. With the help of only a few individual filler elements, the formwork could be adapted accordingly for both applications.
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