1. PIANC Work Group 173 - SMART Rivers 2017
Timothy Paulus, USACE St Paul District
September 20th, 2017

2. Presentation Outline Scope Site Visits Report Content Conclusions
Questions

3. PIANC WG 173 – Rolling Gates and Movable Bridges
Focus on mechanical and electrical design of rolling gates and movable bridges
Scope: Establish a working group of mechanical, electrical and construction engineers to assemble “lessons learned” from navigation bridges and rolling gates and their operating systems and to give recommendations for future design.

4. Scope of Report
From a mechanical and electrical perspective there are many similarities between rolling gates and movable bridges
The aim and purpose of the report is to determine technological guidelines for design, fabrication, construction, operation and maintenance of both rolling gates and movable bridges.
Case Studies

5. Similarities Drive systems – common components
Wire rope and wire rope tensioning systems for example
Remote operation
Many times rolling gates are utilized as a movable bridge
The effect on navigation traffic is similar if there is a failure of the drive system

6. Differences Standard of reliability Counterweights vs buoyant tanks
A rolling gate structure, including the carriage assembly, has many components that are submerged
Maintenance practices

7. Site Visits Antwerp Belgium June 2014 Panama Canal September 2014
Bremerhaven Germany April 2015
Amsterdam Netherlands October 2015
Montreal Canada June 2016

8. Bremerhaven Germany Kaiser Lock April 2015

9. Panama Canal in Front of New Rolling Gates

10. Report Outline Chapter 2 provides the report conclusions
Chapter 3 provides some history and similarities and differences between rolling gates and movable bridges
Chapters 4 to 10: Rolling Gates
Chapters 11 to 18: Movable Bridges
Appendices

11. Rolling Gates
Most of European locks utilize redundant gates on both ends of lock as does the new Panama Canal locks
Wheelbarrow vs Classical Design
Largest locks/gates currently are the wheelbarrow design including Kieldrecht, Berendrecht, and Panama Canal 3rd Lane
Kaiser Lock (Bremerhaven) and Northern Lock in Ijmuiden both classically supported
Rolling gate table in Appendix
Well proven gate system

12. Rolling Gate Topics Report looked at buoyancy conditions
Framing – different types framing systems – single and double skin plates
Operating speed
Filling and emptying systems
Ship impact
Support systems and guiding systems
Rail tracks and carriages
Maintenance concerns and issues
Sustainability

13. Machinery for Rolling Gates
Most rolling gates today utilize a wire rope winch system for opening and closing the gate
Chain systems are also used to drive rolling gates – push/pull chain systems in Bremerhaven/Brunsbuttel
The older Bremerhaven Sea Locks utilize chain drive
Wire rope tension systems

14. Berendrecht Lock Machinery – all mechanical drive system
The rolling gates are two to three times (or more) the weight of a miter gate leaf. The motors at the Antwerp Locks utilize between 250 kw and 300 kw motors.

15. Winch drum – two per gate
Note alternate lay of wire rope – this is to prevent torsion of the wire rope as it spools on and off the drum

16. Machinery for Rolling Gates
Rack and pinion drive – Gouda
Rack and pinion drive – new lock at Ijmuiden
Hydraulic drive systems – Northern Lock Ijmuiden

17. Gouda and Brusbuttel drive system

18. Ijmuiden drive system

19. Kaiser Lock Rolling Gate
Top portion of gate is lifted with hydraulic jacks to fill and empty the lock chamber
Gates are 21 meters tall

20. Kieldrecht Lock
68 meters wide (223 feet) by 500 meters long (1640 feet) by 18 meter (59 feet) depth over sill
Gates floated into place as opposed to Panama gates installed in dry

21. Panama Canal New Locks
New lock construction on both the Pacific side and Atlantic side will provide a third lane of traffic
Both new locks are triple lift (back to back to back locks)
New locks will accommodate post-Panamax vessels
New locks will be 55 meters wide (180 feet), 427 meters long (1400 feet), and 18.3 meters water depth (60 feet)
New locks will utilize rolling gates as opposed to miter gates – wheelbarrow design
Double rolling gates on each end of locks
Goal is 99.6% reliability

22. Why Rolling Gates? European design preferences
Some seismic concerns with miter gates on Pacific side
Limited design and construction experience for miter gates on a 55 meter wide lock
Rolling gates can be recessed and dewatered for repair – essentially a dry dock facility – gates can be lifted and supported in the recess
Rolling gates are buoyant to reduce load (although the existing Panama miter gates are also buoyant)
Will have a removable lower carriage
4 hour change out

23. Pacific Side Rolling Gate
Gate will be 105 feet tall and 33 feet wide and 189 feet long
Air chamber is at bottom of gate – all Panama rolling gates are designed to have removable lower carriage

24. Rolling Gate Installation

25. Panama Canal Gates
Compression column and load limiting device for lower carriage

26. Movable Bridges Rock Island Arsenal Swing Bridge
Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge

27. Movable Bridges
Types – Bascule, Vertical Lift, Rolling Bascule, Swing Bridges
Design Standards
Looked at difference in design codes between European and American bridge designs
Safety concerns
Focus on a number of case studies

28. Movable Bridge Drive Systems
Many similarities to rolling gate drive systems

29. Movable Bridge Drive Systems

30. Botlek Bridge
Old and new bridges side by side

31. Botlek Bridge

32. Conclusions Panama Gates
The design of the compression column and load limiting device works well for the requirements of the Panama Canal high reliability standards.
For a lock with more outage times, a standard replacement arrangement by floating the gate and removing the lower wheels from the bottom may suffice.

33. Conclusions Rolling Gates
A wire rope winch drive system generally will be the simplest drive system and is recommended for new designs.
To help and facilitate maintenance, it is recommended to install condition monitoring systems on all drive components such as motors, brakes, and gearboxes

34. Conclusions Movable Bridges
Regardless of the type of movable bridge selected, span weight and balance are critical in order to minimize the size and power requirements needed to operate a movable bridge.
One consideration is to install sensors embedded on parts of the bridge structure and used periodically to monitor the loads on the bridge bearings

35. Questions?
Contact Tim Paulus at for further details on any of the slides presented here or further details on the working group report