Composite bridges

Australian company InQuik has developed a unique method of building bridges which can be implemented quickly using only low-skilled labour. The globally patented technology utilises Magnelis® from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products to create the formwork of a bridge, which is then filled with concrete to create the bridge deck. Although the bridges are designed for a service life of 100 years, experts believe that the use of Magnelis® could double that without the need for significant maintenance. With hundreds of thousands of bridges needing replacement around the world, the potential for the InQuik system is enormous. The innovative design of the InQuik system was recognised when it won the 2019 T.C. Graham Prize from the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST).

The InQuik system

The InQuik system was developed by a family team including father and son Bruce and Logan Mullaney and Bruce’s brother-in-law, Jim Howell. Their original goal was to improve the systems used to transport modular housing with a collapsed container system. “When we went to register our idea of a reinforcement to hold the deadweight of concrete, the patent office told us this was completely new,” explains Logan Mullaney, now managing director of InQuik Bridging Systems. “We immediately started to think of other ways we could utilise this technology.”

With demand for bridges soaring globally, they seemed to be an ideal application notes Logan Mullaney: “We realised that by putting a truss in a reinforced steel shell we could hold the temporary load of the cement until it cured. Our first trial bridge was constructed on our own property in Australia. We built three in the first year and eight in the second year. This year, our third, we will install around 40 InQuik bridges.”

Magnelis® provides long-term strength

A key challenge was to identify a good material for the formwork which holds the concrete until it dries completely. “At first we thought about using galvanised steel, but over time this will rust and fall away,” says Logan Mullaney. “While the formwork is sacrificial, we realised that the sight of corroding metal would reduce user confidence in the bridge and increase the amount of maintenance required. We needed a more durable solution.”

InQuik was introduced to Magnelis® through a contact in Australia. “Magnelis® allows us to leave the formwork of the bridge in place as it has an aesthetically pleasing finish – and it is durable,” says Logan Mullaney.

Another key advantage of Magnelis® is the protection it offers to the concrete deck. “Because the formwork remains, the concrete and internal reinforcing steel are protected from corrosion,” explains Logan Mullaney. “That means the bridge will last longer. Engineers have estimated the useful life of an InQuik bridge could be well in excess of its 100-year design life, potentially up to 200 years.”

Confidence in quality

The Magnelis® formwork helps to contain plasticisers and water-soluble chemicals which occur in the concrete. Magnelis® ensures the preservation of natural resources as it uses significantly less zinc than pure zinc coatings. Zinc runoff is also reduced dramatically compared to galvanised steels.

“Magnelis® is not well known in Australia and we are one of the only companies utilising it,” notes Logan Mullaney. “But ‘Made in Europe’ is a quality label for Australian companies. Together with the fact that ArcelorMittal is the largest steelmaker in the world, this gives our customers – and bridge users – confidence in the system.”

Portable technology can be deployed globally

Magnelis® is imported into Australia from ArcelorMittal Bremen where it is produced. InQuik maintains a healthy stock in Australia as there is currently a four-month lead time on orders. “We’re looking how that lead time can be reduced so InQuik doesn’t have to maintain such a large stock of material,” notes John Robbins, export manager for ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products.

Compared to a conventional reinforced concrete bridge, the InQuik system is up to 90 percent more steel-intensive. However, the bridges are more cost-effective as they can be prefabricated and installation time is significantly lower explains Logan Mullaney: “InQuik bridges are standardised, pre-certified, and can be mass-produced. And it is possible to transport an entire bridge on one semi-trailer. You just back the truck up to the site, install the components, and then fill them with concrete. It only takes a small crane and a few days to build the bridge. Customers typically save between 20 and 50 percent compared to a conventional bridge due to the lower installation time and work, low risk, and less cranage.”

About InQuik Bridging Systems

InQuik manufactures standardised, pre-certified, mass-produced bridges which can be easily transported anywhere in the world. The solution makes building a bridge quick, simple, low-risk, and cost-effective. InQuik employs 15 people in its sales and delivery team and produces systems at three factories in Australia. InQuik is currently preparing for expansion into the USA, Asia, and other regions around the globe.

More info: inquik.com.au

The T.C. Graham Prize

The T.C. Graham Prize has been awarded annually since 2014 to the winners of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology’s (AIST) annual design competition. The winning entry receives a 20 000 USD cash prize. The purpose of the contest is to encourage, generate, and incubate ideas that may lead to the development of new markets for steel.

More info: www.aist.org

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: InQuik Bridging Systems & AIST

ArcelorMittal Europe - Long Products has released an updated version of our composite bridge pre-design software: ACOBRI Version 5.07.

You can download the update for free on our software page:

https://constructalia.arcelormittal.com/en/tools/software

With a length of 560 km, the Moselle is a major European waterway, crossing France, Luxembourg, and Germany. Next April, a brand-new steel-concrete composite bridge will rise on the French bank of the river. It is currently being built with beams from ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products assembled in box girders entirely prefabricated by Steligence® Fabrication Centre in Luxembourg. About 200 km from there, on the German bank of the Moselle, new locks are being installed thanks to ArcelorMittal Sheet Piling.

Safer and more efficient access on the river

Built in 1942, the old bridge located in Tonnoy, France was deteriorating and was no longer in line with the latest standards regarding mobility. With this new 92-metre bridge, user safety will increase thanks to a new footbridge dedicated exclusively to pedestrians and cyclists and a wider road for vehicles traffic. The bridge will also limit the impacts on the Moselle riverbed and ensure better hydraulic flow thanks to the presence of three pillars instead of four.

As for the locks in Germany, the existing ones are no longer up to date in their dimensions, causing waiting times at the lock passages. This is a major issue, especially when freight transport has to share the route with the abundant tourist excursion boats. As a solution, the locks will be equipped with a second lock chamber, in larger dimensions (210 m x 12.5 m). Thanks to the second lock chambers, waterways as ecological and economic modes of transport will become even more attractive, which will also strengthen the reputation of this economic area.

S460M: the key advantage to winning this bridge project

In early September, construction of the Tonnoy bridge took a huge step: the delivery on site and the installation of the box girders. The girders, fabricated and painted by Steligence® Fabrication Centre, are composed of 24 beams in grade S460M produced in ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ mill in Differdange. They measure between 30.5 m and 35.4 m and weigh a total of 187 tonnes.

The use of S460M structural steel grade allowed for weight reduction, which was a competitive advantage in this project that was initially supposed to be completely built with concrete. Thanks to ArcelorMittal steel, construction time and costs were considerably reduced as there was no need for formwork, sanding, welding, or confinement.

For the installation of the 12 girders (eight 29.85-m girders of 2 beams and four 35-m girders of 2 beams), a 220-tonne lifting crane was used. Transportation was organised by the Steligence® Fabrication Centre with the help of MKTS transport company. This special transport had to be regulated by pilot cars and Luxembourgish and French law enforcement.

Improving waterway transport

Out of the ten locks that require work, the Zeltingen and Fankel locks are already extended and in operation. For the Trier lock, the overall construction comprises the extension of the upper and lower outer harbour to a length of 225 m, the relocation of the Trier water gauge, the construction of a new control centre for the locks of Zeltingen, Wintrich, Detzem, and Trier, as well as an ecological compensation measure at the Monaise sports boat harbour.

The upper outer harbour, the central piers in the upper and lower water, will be built using steel sheet piling from ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products, produced in the Belva milll. A single anchored PU® 22 sheet pile wall will be used for the upper outer harbour and an approach dolphin in the lower water will be constructed as a circular cell from AS® 500 profiles – filled with sand or other material – that will be dismantled at the end of the new lock construction.

Works for the bridge are still ongoing on the banks of the Moselle with completion foreseen in April 2020. As for the Trier lock, completion should take place before the end of 2019.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe