Formworks for bridge-beams

The precasting lines for bridge beams are huge plants which are built using steel profiles of increased section.
Casting-side plates thickness usually ranges from 10 to 12 mm. The combination of steel profiles of increased section and large thickness casting-side plates ensures products complying with very low dimensional tolerances.
Formworks are designed to manufacture different concrete product cross-sections, by modifying the formwork shape itself.
This is made possible by semi-automatically controlled electro-hydraulic handling devices, which enable the operator to change the pre-cast element cross-sections within a few minutes.
All the opening/closing movements of side elements and the pre-lifting and lifting of false-formworks are operated by hydraulic double-acting cylinders.
On request, we can also provide the below listed complementary equipment::

• concrete compacting by means of pneumatic vibrating system;
• concrete compacting by means of high frequency remote-controlled electrical vibrating system;
• accelerated concrete curing by steam, water, oil or electricity with electronic management of curing cycles;
• design-made special moulding with magnetic fixing system.
• stressing heads (abutments) with pre-stressing force ranging from 50 ton. to 2.500 ton.;
• single-acting and double-acting slackening cylinders;
• pre-stressing and slackening machines / power units;
• strand-pulling machine (required to speed up the laying down of pre-stressing strands);
• special equipment for lifting reinforcement sets prepared in advance;
• automatic concrete distributors, both aerial or sliding along rails on the floor;
• gantry cranes of 5 to 100 ton lifting capacity, sliding along floor rails, and bridge-cranes, of 5 to 100 ton lifting capacity, sliding along aerial runways.

Self-reacting formworks or with external head-elements

The formworks to manufacture pre-stressed bridge-beams can be manufactured by means of two different alternative concepts:

• formworks with stressing and slackening heads (buttresses) external to the formwork itself, embedded into the reinforced industrial floor that is specially designed and carried out (mainly inside pits under the floor level);
• self-reacting formworks, i.e. complete with stressing and slackening heads built-in the formwork itself; they are very sturdy structures made to resist the stressing force of the strands, so as to  prevent any deformation / cambering.

Such systems do feature different advantages, thus, based on the customer’s requirements, it is possible to select the most appropriate solution:

• formworks with external heads are a bit lighter structures; the buttresses are fixed to the industrial floor and in the course of time one can place in-between them other different formworks, by suitably gearing the pattern of strands; they require a special flooring, so they are suitable for a long-term mass production at the same workshop;
• self-reacting formworks are heavier and larger structures but they require neither any special flooring, nor civil works, therefore they are suitable to be removed from a workshop or jobsite and shifted to the next.