Local manufacturing empowers hometown development, while high-standard templates pave the way for a smooth journey across the Taihang Mountains.

At the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, transportation takes priority. As a key livelihood project in Xindu District of Xingtai City, the reconstruction project from Fangjiapu to Jiangjunmu is currently progressing at full speed. This 9.7-kilometer-long Class-II highway, which includes 14 large bridges, is being constructed with robust equipment support provided by Hebei Dongfeng Shijing Rail Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Dongfeng Rail”), whose core product—the hydraulically self-propelled hanging basket—has ensured reliable performance for the cantilever cast-in-place construction at critical project milestones.

Project Breakthrough

The “Hard Nut to Crack” of Bridge Construction in Mountainous Areas

The reconstruction project of the Fangjia-Pu to Jiangjunmu section is located in Songjiazhuang Town, Xindu District. The route traverses the Taihang Mountain area, featuring complex terrain and a high bridge-tunnel ratio. The project is designed to Class II highway standards with a design speed of 60 km/h. Key control projects, such as the Jiangjunmu Bridge and the Yegoumen Reservoir Bridge, impose extremely stringent requirements on construction accuracy and safety.

In the cantilever casting construction of concrete box-girder continuous bridges with corrugated steel webs, the No. 0 segment is the first segment at the top of the bridge pier and serves as the “foundation” for subsequent formwork-traveling crane assembly and cantilever construction. The quality of its construction directly determines the alignment and structural safety of the entire bridge. Given the complex site conditions in mountainous areas, there is an urgent need for a No. 0 segment construction system that offers high stiffness, strong stability, and excellent adaptability.

Technological Breakthrough

Dongfeng Rail Customization Solutions

In response to the project requirements, Dongfeng Rail, based in Guangzong County, Xingtai City, leveraged its extensive experience gained from major national projects such as the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway and the Wuhan–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway to tailor a complete set of hydraulically self-propelled hanging basket equipment for the project.

1. No. 0 Section Bracket: A High-Capacity “Steel Arm”

• Rigid bracing: A triangular support system is fabricated by welding high-strength structural steel sections, such as I40 I-beams. The base of the system is securely connected to the pier body via embedded anchor plates, forming a corbel support point that ensures minimal deformation during concrete placement.

• Safety Redundancy: The design thoroughly accounts for wind loads in mountainous areas and dynamic construction loads, with ample safety margins built into the load-carrying capacity to serve as a “safety harness” for high-altitude operations.

2. Formwork for the No. 0 Segment of the Hanging Basket: a “Shaping Device” with Millimeter-Level Precision

• Customized Design: Based on the bridge cross-section dimensions and the layout of the prestressing ducts, the external formwork, internal formwork, and bottom formwork systems are precisely designed. The formwork utilizes large steel panels combined with channel-steel ribs to ensure a smooth concrete surface with well-defined edges and corners.

• Convenient construction: The modular design facilitates rapid on-site assembly and disassembly, significantly shortening the construction period for the No. 0 segment and creating valuable time for subsequent cantilever casting with traveling formwork.

Local Advantages

“Zero-Distance” Service from Guangzong to Taihang

As a high-tech enterprise deeply rooted in Xingtai, Dongfeng Rail has demonstrated a distinct geographical advantage in this collaboration:

• Rapid Response: With a short transportation distance from the Guangzong production base to the construction site in Xindu District, equipment can be delivered and after-sales technical support provided on the same day, effectively addressing the challenges of difficult equipment maintenance and slow equipment reallocation in mountainous-area projects.

• Full-Scope On-Site Support: The company dispatches experienced technical engineers to provide on-site guidance, fully participating in the pre-compression of support brackets, formwork installation, and the first-piece concrete pour to ensure precise implementation of the construction plan.

“As the saying goes, ‘To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools.’” During the vigorous construction of the reconstruction project from Fangjiapu to Jiangjunmu, Dongfeng Rail has demonstrated its strength and commitment through “locally manufactured” solutions, injecting robust, cutting-edge equipment into this key transportation project in its hometown. With the successful closure of critical nodes such as the Jiangjunmu Bridge, Dongfeng Rail’s intelligent suspended-formwork system has once again proven its reliability and advanced technology in the construction of complex bridges. Looking ahead, Dongfeng Rail will continue to deepen its expertise in bridge-construction equipment, contributing more of the “Xingtai-made” ingenuity and capabilities to infrastructure development in Xingtai and across the country.

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