Recently, the last bored pile of the main tower pier at the north of Shantou Niutianyang Super-large Bridge has been poured, marking a breakthrough in the bridge construction. The construction process shifts from the full underwater construction of a pile foundation to the half underwater construction of a bearing platform with double-wall cofferdam.

 XCMG XR550D rotary drilling rigs work for Niutianyang Super-large Bridge

At the construction site, seven XR550D rotary drilling rigs provide powerful support.

Within 11 days, XR550D conquer key and difficult problems.

As an intersection of four rivers, magnitude-8 earthquake area and anchor of seagoing vessels, Niutianyang Super-large Bridge, designed with a public line shared by highway and rail, is called a “Millennium Project” for its complexity of construction.

This bridge connects the south and north banks of Rongjiang River. The river crossing section of the bridge adopts a double-layer structure with highway and rail built jointly. The main span is a double-plane cable-stayed bridge with twin tower and double-deck steel truss. With the main bridge 955 meters long and the main tower 183 meters high, this double-deck bridge is the largest one that crosses Rongjiang River in Shantou City, and it also boasts the highest main tower.

The completion of the bridge construction is of significance for promoting the land development on both sides of Rongjiang River, and driving the economic and social development of the Niutianyang district, national high-tech zone and adjacent areas.

In 2019, the permanent steel casing for the first pile of No. 23 Pier of the main tower pier of Niutianyang Super-large Bridge was inserted in place, marking that this bridge entered the main structure construction stage.

The pile foundation was drilled by XCMG XR550D rotary drilling rigs which worked only for 11 days. The drilling work guarantees that these bored piles are poured on time.

For 133 meters deep pile, XCMG XR550D operate in the water

Another difficulty in the project is the construction of bored piles of the main tower pier. 40 bored piles with variable cross-section and diameter of 2.5 to 3 meters and length of 95.7 to 118.7 meters are set under a single bearing platform. These piles are located in the place where the geology is complex and boulder develops, bringing more difficulties to the construction.

The pile foundation of the main tower pier is constructed by steel trestle on the water plus steel drilling platform. Facing the difficulty of construction on the submarine granite, XCMG XR550D still drill to 133 meters deep! The time needed for drilling a single pile hole is controlled at about 12 days, and 13 piles may be formed within a month (in April) at most.

The cluster of pile foundations composed by high-performance marine concrete is firmly embedded in Rongjiang River like an anchor block, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent construction of the bridge.

A record 143 meters, XCMG XR550D continue the legend.

XCMG XR550D rotary drill, built in 2016, continues to make brilliant achievements since its launch. It has participated in the construction of major engineering projects such as Jiaojiang Super-large Bridge along the Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou Railway, Wuhan Qingshan Bridge, Xijiang Super-large Bridge of Guangzhou Nansha Port Railway and Chibi Yangtze River Bridge.

XCMG XR550D operate for Jiaojiang Super-large Bridge

It is worth mentioning that during the construction of Jiaojiang Super-large Bridge along the Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou Railway in 2018, XCMG XR550D rotary drill broke the domestic record of ultra-deep pile construction to 143 meters deep, far surpassing other drills in the industry! Whether in single or joint construction, XR550D is always recognized by users.