Wirtgen slipform pavers have helped to build the apron area at the new Beijing Daxing International airport, which was recently opened. The new airport is reportedly the world’s second largest in terms of passenger volume, initially serving up to 45 million passengers per year, and is expected to have a total capacity of up to 100 million in the future. It is intended to relieve pressure on the existing airport in northeast of Beijing.
The cold winters in Beijing with low temperature of around 0°C was among the challenges faced by Beijing Sino-Aero Construction Engineering Co Ltd during the construction of the apron area. A total of four Wirtgen SP 500 slipform pavers were used to pave single-layer concrete slabs 5 m wide and 42 cm thick over fixed forms.
Levelling and steering parameters were communicated to the Wirtgen machine control system via stringline sensors. To withstand the high aircraft loads, the concrete slabs were reinforced by means of steel dowels. Thanks to the excellent performance and high machine availability, daily production targets could be easily achieved so the tough timeline was adhered to.
Minimising manpower was said to be one of the main criteria considered by Sino-Aero Construction Engineering. The company believed that Wirtgen slipform pavers were the right solution for automated, efficient concrete paving. The process ran smoothly and exactly as scheduled, and the robust paving mould slipformed the concrete, exceeding the required specifications. Electrical vibrators emitting high-frequency vibrations ensured optimum compaction of the concrete during the slipforming process. In addition, the oscillating beam and super-smoother put the finishing touches to the brand new pavement.
