Load-testing starts at Majerhat bridge in Kolkata
The load test of the Majerhat bridge started on Monday and will continue till Friday, marking the final stage for opening a vital link in south Calcutta a little over two years since a portion of it had collapsed. Once the weight-bearing capacity of the structure is found to match the specification in the original design, engineers will run the final check and complete some fine-tuning before declaring the bridge “ready for use”.
FollowThe load test of the new cable-stayed Majerhat bridge started on Monday (November 16) and will continue till Friday (November 20).
Once the weight-bearing capacity of the structure is found to match the specification in the original design, engineers will run the final check and complete some fine-tuning before declaring the bridge “ready for use”.
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A span of the old road-overbridge (ROB) had collapsed on September 4, 2018. An engineer of the state public works department (PWD), which is implementing the Rs 250 crore Majerhat ROB reconstruction project, said, “After successful load testing and fine-tuning of the cables, the new bridge will be ready by the end of the month.”
As part of the test, empty and fully loaded vehicles are mounted on a bridge or flyover and the stability of the structure is monitored. Engineers calculate the load-bearing capacity of the structure and record how different elements, such as the concrete deck slab, bearings, and cables (which will hold the part of the bridge that is over railway tracks), are functioning.
The stress-bearing capacity is monitored with the help of advanced machines and the readings are noted down.
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After the load removal, the PWD officials will do the bridge’s deflection reading and approach its Taiwan-based consultants, Wiecon, on the format of fine-tuning the cables. Simultaneously, the road marking will also be done.
Structural engineers will find out whether the stress-bearing capacity of various components is in consonance with the design and whether any deviation has been noticed.
Since 260 meter of the deck slab of the bridge stands over railway tracks, bridge experts in the railways, too, will take a look at the data, PWD officials said.
Instrumentation or equipping the structure with sensors to provide real-time data showing how the new bridge functions well against static and dynamic vehicular load, will be done after opening the bridge.
