Creating a New Type of Bridge on a Large Scale
To improve transportation in Jiangsu, China, Nanyanjiang Intercity Railway undertook a CNY 2.551 billion project to create a 33.9-kilometer high-speed railway that includes five bridges. The organization contracted CCCC Third Harbor Engineering, a company with 60 years of civil engineering experience, to design and build the project. Though CCCC Third Harbor Engineering has successfully completed a wide array of transportation projects throughout China, this project would be the first high-speed railway in the country to incorporate 40-meter, simply supported box girders for bridges on a large scale. Traditional design techniques would not be sufficient for this type of innovative design.
Complexities Overwhelm Their Software
CCCC Third Harbor Engineering knew that they needed BIM techniques to overcome the project’s challenges and bring the unique proposal to life. Using digital technologies would enable them to centralize the management of data and design, improving communication between departments. They initially began developing the high-speed railway in a third-party application, but it made the design process overly complicated, especially when trying to incorporate curves in the railway. To make the design a reality while staying within the budget and deadline, the team needed to switch to a series of applications that could simplify design work on complex and unusual elements.
Unifying Project Planning and Design
After studying potential options, CCCC Third Harbor Engineering transitioned the project to Bentley applications, as they could accurately model the complex design and manage construction while avoiding any data transfer issues. They first used ContextCapture to create a reality model of the project area to ensure that they avoided any conflicts with the businesses that operate adjacent to 70% of the railway. Then, the team used MicroStation, OpenBridge Modeler, and ProStructures to create over 10 thousand models while detecting and correcting any errors or omissions in construction. With OpenBridge Modeler, they analyzed load conditions, shrinkage, and expansion to ensure continued durability and safety. Lastly, they created a simulation of the construction process within SYNCHRO 4D to improve construction planning and an animated rendering of the railway with LumenRT to clearly communicate the design to stakeholders.
Resolving Errors and Reducing Development Time
Using integrated digital applications, CCCC Third Harbor Engineering successfully created optimized designs for the large scale box girder bridges along the railway. Digital design and management improved workflow efficiency and data management while resolving errors, which kept the project on schedule. The detailed simulation of the construction schedule allowed them to save 130 days in development time, while the animated rendering enhanced collaboration. The railway is now under construction and will play a guiding role in the digital development of railways in China.
Outcome/Facts
- CCCC Third Harbor Engineering was contracted to design and build the first high-speed railway to incorporate 40-meter, simply supported box girders for bridges on a large scale in China.
- Digital design and management improved workflow efficiency and data management while resolving errors, which kept the project on schedule.
- The detailed simulation of the construction schedule allowed the design team to save 130 days in development time.
