25.09.2023 - Aluminium Association
Evgeny Vasiliev, Vice-Chairman and Head of Transport Infrastructure, Aluminium Association, gave a presentation on Aluminium Solutions in Transport Infrastructure Facilities. The presentation was at the Design and Construction of Bridges. Advanced Studies and New Approaches session. Currently, with the Association’s support, a range of aluminium bridge construction projects are in progress across the country. The Aluminium Association member companies have successfully implemented aluminium bridge component manufacturing technologies: from orthotropic plates and load-bearing structures to finish panels. The successful bridge operations in various climates have been monitored.
This year, in Krasnoyarsk, the first domestic aluminium overpass was erected across Semaphore Street and the tracks of the Trans-Siberian Railway. This was also the first Russian Railways aluminium overpass. In the past, railway overpasses were mostly made of reinforced concrete. However, aluminium overpasses offer several advantages. The most significant one is a quick installation with no disruptions to the train traffic. Other regions are already adopting the practices used in Krasnoyarsk. For instance, In the Tula Region, they have launched the construction of a footbridge over the railway tracks between Sovetskaya and Lugovaya Streets.
A new application of aluminium is turnkey-ready, off-the-shelf bridges. An off-the-shelf bridge includes a foundation (screw piles), deck, walkways, and anti-slip coating. The standard solutions developed by the Aluminium Association’s project team can significantly accelerate the construction/retrofitting of bridges over minor water obstacles. A pre-fabricated structure is delivered to the site. Just one crane and a few workers are needed to lift and install it. Moreover, off-the-shelf bridges can be transported, assembled, and erected even in dense urban environments.
Nikolai Ilyushin, the session moderator and Chairperson of the Bridge Structures and Culverts Task Force, Subcommittee 11 Engineering and Construction of Transport Structures, TC 465 Construction Committee, praised the Aluminium Association’s contribution to aluminium bridge construction, noting that the Associ-ation has made significant progress in just 8 years, from R&D to completed innovative projects. The experts are confident that aluminium solutions will continue to gain popularity and be in demand. The Road Con-struction in Russia: Bridges and Structures International Forum and Expo was held in St. Petersburg with support from the Russian Ministry of Transport, Federal Road Agency, Russian Road Construction Research Institute, and R.O.S. ASPHALT Association.