Deep-Core Drilling Ensures a Safe Setting for German Bridge Project
Published: 27/9
The OB-Karl-Lehr Bridge in Duisburg, Germany, is one of the region’s most important transportation routes for the city’s port logistics traffic. Dating back to the 1940s, the bridges are being replaced as part of a unique mega-project that has already seen the new structures completed and carrying traffic. Construction is not complete, as the new bridges are to be relocated to the footprint of the predecessor structures. For this purpose, the final piers and abutments, founded on bored piles, still have to be built on the old positions. In order to ensure that any leftover wartime ordnance has been cleared and work can proceed safely, parts of the existing structure were core drilled in advance with special deep core drill bits from Tyrolit.
In order to adapt these piers to the new conditions, construction contractor Max Bögl performed various core drillings in the existing piers and abutments. These exploratory drillings with diameters of up to 10 in (252mm) and depths up to 16 ft (4.9m) had to be carried out to detect explosive ordnance. As the concrete dated from the war years and therefore contained a lot of abrasive sand, Max Bögl chose Tyrolit screw drill bits for these bores, which were ideally suited to the task. With a drilling lifetime of nearly 16.5 ft (5m), the necessary bores were completed within a week with these special drill bits.
“The Tyrolit screw drill bits were the right choice for this job,” Xaver Mederer of Max Bögl. “We were also able to rely on the know-how of an experienced application engineer from Tyrolit, which helped us a lot in this task. We would definitely work with them again!”
