| SLJ900/32 | |
| Manufacturer: | Beijing Wowjoint Machinery Company[1] |
| Type: | Launching gantry |
| Production: | 2015[2] |
| Propulsion: | 64x wheel drive system |
| Height: | 9m (30feet)[3] |
| Weight: | 580t |
| Speed: |
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The SLJ900/32 or otherwise known as the Iron Monster[4] is a superheavy launching gantry and one of the largest and most ubiquitous in the world. At over 90 meters in length, the SLJ900/32 is also one of the world's longest terrestrial vehicles. It is built by the Beijing Wowjoint Machinery Company and designed by the Shijiazhuang Railway Design Institute.[1] [3]
The SLJ900/32 as aforementioned, is long, wide, 9m (30feet) tall and weighs around 580t. It is a disproportionately long and slender vehicle which is needed as it is designed to construct bridges in a safe and efficient manner.[4] Compared to conventional cranes which require clear land and is only able to lift a few meters of bridge material per-lift, the SLJ900/32 is capable of lifting an entire large segment of bridging material (some of which weigh around 800 to 950 tons) in a relatively compact manner without the hassle of interference such as trees or rocks.[5]
Construction process is done via the vehicle carrying picking up a new pre-cast section of concrete all the way from the very edge of the bridge to the installation point underneath its "belly", where it will be connected to a predetermined pillar.[4] [6] Then, using a pneumatic structure, the machine is moored to the first pillar to extend to the second one, anchoring to it, and place the beam.[4] [3] The process would repeat itself until the bridge's foundations are completed.
The vehicle moves on a large 64x wheel drive system, which in itself is divided into four sections of 16 wheels each (forming two trucks, one at each end).[4] [1] Each of the sections can rotate up to 90 degrees that let’s the machine drive sideways for efficiency when picking up beams.[6] The vehicle can maintain a top speed of 8kph unloaded, and 5kph carrying a bridge segment.[7]
The operational life of each vehicle is capable of building up to 730 spans before retiring.[6]