With the spectacular handover of an innovative high girder bridge to KAHL SCHWERLAST GmbH of Moers, Germany, Goldhofer Aktiengesellschaft and the Greiner company, as partners in the project, once again made a big impression on the heavy haulage industry and delivered further proof of its technological competence.
“This project is really unique in the heavy-duty logistics industry,” said Goldhofer CEO Mr. Stefan Fuchs during the ceremony held at the company’s Memmingen works, which was attended by a good 130 guests, to name the bridge G²│K 600. Mr. Andreas Kahl, Managing Director of KAHL, added: “We are delighted to benefit from the competence of both Goldhofer and Greiner.”
Why the name G²│K 600
Not only the name of the bridge, G²│K 600, is unusual, G² represents the equation Goldhofer + Greiner = Competence Squared, while K 600 stands for the KAHL company and the bridge’s maximum payload of 600 t, so is the innovative design of the bridge based on a specs sheet headed by an optimum deadweight to payload ratio, temporary load repositioning and innovative load distribution to the axles. One result is a distributed axle load of less than 12 t, which is a unique achievement.
The bridge is designed for configurations with a maximum of 2×24 axles and a load-bearing capacity of up to 550 t. It provides several options for loading various extremely heavy items like generators, transformers, motors, turbines and reels. By means of consoles the load can be set on top of the main girders. Alternative load carrying methods are available in the form of load hangers with cross beams or direct coupling of transformers to the Z-girders without the main beams or using the support bogies for loading without the help of a crane. As a result, it is possible to use G²│K 600 as a side girder deck, a vessel bridge, a high girder bridge or a self-supporting transformer transporter. In addition, the bridge girders can be used independently as a fly-over bridge (36 m).
The Goldhofer-Greiner concept is based on a completely new modular system and covers an enormous range of applications for the girder bridge, which has a span of over 52 m and a total length of about 89 m (without drawbars and tractors). “That makes us faster and more efficient in obtaining permits for our heavy-duty transport operations,” says Mr. Kahl.
In this context it is worth remembering that, in Europe and Germany especially, there is an increasing number of roads and bridges in poor condition, where permissible axle loads have been reduced for reasons of safety. At the same time, the items to be transported are getting bigger and heavier. The result is that, in most cases, the authorities will only issue permits for heavy loads to be transported after a long and complex application process. And in many cases, the poor state of the roads means long detours have to be made. Or the permits are quite simply refused. For that reason some items, like 400 t mill stands, are no longer produced in one piece in Germany because it has become almost impossible to transport them to and from the ports.
“With our new bridge, we are making a small contribution to maintaining Germany’s position as an industry location in the fields of mechanical and plant engineering,” said Mr. Kahl at the official handover. “Thanks to the various options offered by our new bridge, we will in future be more frequently able to take the fastest route for the job without any detours. That saves time and money and permits us to respond with still greater flexibility to customer requirements” he added.
KAHL SCHWERLAST GmbH in particular handles unit weights in the 200 – 300 t range, and with the G²│K 600 can now do so with distributed axle loads of under 12 t. “That is unique and a new benchmark,” says Mr. Michael Greiner, Managing Director of Greiner Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH (Neuenstein), which specializes in the development and manufacture of lift systems and bridges. “We are proud to have been able to input our long years of experience into this project.”
The required number of axle lines on the platform combination can be adjusted quickly and easily to the size of the load. Bridge width is infinitely adjustable between 1620 and 6200 mm (clear load width). Vertical stroke in the loading section is 2145 mm. The bridge is used in combination with Goldhofer’s heavy-duty modules in the THP series and the hydrostatically powered self-propelled PST/SL-E transporters, with the option to increase the number of axle lines from 2×10 to 2×24 (split and parallel combinations).
