The Formwork to The Millau Viaduct

ice Ireland Engineers Ireland Nov 2007

Tonights Menu
Introduction Background The Deck The Pier Bases The Piers
The system used for climbing Shape and the challenges in forming it The philosophy behind the formwork engineering On the Way Up The completed Piers

The Toll Plaza Canopy Conclusion

What did we get for the money

The Framework of the Presentation

Background to the bridge

Why it was built Where it is Who provided initial design How it came to look the way it does When it started and was finished What it is made of

Where A75 Motorway link from Clermont Ferrand to Berziers

Satellite Photo of the Trace

Why

That stretch is missing link in motorway route from Paris to Barcelona Before viaduct traffic drove down into the valley and through the town of Millau August regularly saw delays of 5 hrs+ in Millau, which gridlocked an entire town

Millau

Background to Design
Originally designed by Michel Virlogeux whose concept was taken up by Sir Norman Fosters practise

Pont de Normandie Wishbone Pylon and Cable Stay Briefly the longest cable stay span in the world

Design
The slender design of the Virlogeux/Foster Viaduct was chosen but had a contrasting pier design to the Pont De Normandie The wide based Wishbone of the Normandie Piers had become a very slender Y shape for Millau High Level Wind Loads in Valley created a weak point in the wishbone One of the Millau piers is 4 times higher than the Normandie piers

The Open Hands Pier Design

The Single main stem with transition to Open Hands deck support gave best accommodation of wind loads in the upper levels of the Tarn Valley. The Main Stem is hollow with internal cross slabs. The point of bifurcation is solid The twin piers are hollow Designed for 200km/h winds at deck level

Why was this design chosen Slender lines had least impact on environment of the valley Visually Stunning Had potential to make a striking architectural statement Kept traffic right out of Millau In March 2001 Eiffage TP won the contract to construct with a 75 year concession to operate (which can be removed if proves too profitable!) Deck was curved to a 20km radius to avoid sensation of dreaming or flying, and to allow sight of all pylons

Dont trip out at the wheel

Framework..

The Deck
Vital Statistics What that means for the piers Why it is curved How it was moved

The Deck Is a trapezoidal Box Girder design If made from reinforced concrete it would be 7m deep and weigh c. 200,000 tonnes By making it in steel, the deck can reduce in depth to 4m, and in weight to 36,000 tonnes However, the reduction in dead weight on to the pier heads meant that the deck would need stressing tendons down to the bifurcation point for stability. This adds 6,000 tonnes load per pier The dead weight of the single pier section is sufficient for stability

More Vital Statistics Carries 10,000 tonnes of tarmac on main carriageways and another 4,000 tones on hard shoulders Each pylon anchoring the cable stays is steel and weighs 700 tonnes Each Main Cable can take tensile load equivalent to 25 Jumbo Jets at full thrust Steel of the cable stays adds 1500 tonnes to the overall weight

Deck Movement

Hydraulic Lift and move Rams - Enerpac

The Movement of the Deck

The Enerpac Rams

Lets now start at the Bottom

In order to get from abutment to abutment, 14km of road were constructed including a temporary bridge over the Tarn. The Pier Bases
Concentrate on Pier No.2 (P2) as this is the tallest

Soil is principally Limestone and riddled with caves and fissures containing bacteria used in the making of the regions main export..

Roquefort Cheese

The Foundations

Each pier is founded on a plate or base, and four posts or piles The piles are each 5m diameter and extend down to a max depth of 14m On top is the base itself, which for P2 is 6m deep The Initial Launch pour for the pier is conventionally shuttered

The Base Plate As a solid concrete entity, base was too big to tie shutters conventionally so each base shutter was supported with PERI SB Brace Frames anchored into purposely laid rc base The piers together required 10,000 tonnes of reinforcement steel The bases required 13, 450 tonnes of rebar The piles required 1,200 tonnes of rebar The piles alone used 6,000m3 of concrete

Pouring the Launch Pour

The Piers

The Piers

Slender pier designed as running, tapered octagon Seven no. piers in total, similar shape from deck down, but differing heights

Pier Heights

The Pier Elevations

Each Pier continually tapers in both planes from base to top In general, each pier is identical from the road deck down For a distance of 90m from the deck, a twin pier is used 90m below deck is a transition point where twin pier becomes a single pier Pier no.2 is benchmark at 245m high All others are cut from below MUST FIND A WAY TO CLIMB FORMWORK
90m

How To Construct the Pier

It was decided to pour the pier in 4m lifts using a climbing form system Ideally it would go something like this

So how do we climb? - We asked an Expert An automatic rail climbing system (ACS) Formwork Shutter and Work platforms are integral Hydraulic Rams push shutter and carriage up the rail Rail runs through shoes fixed to concrete Rams lift rail up when carriage is fixed in position

Basic System Used Worldwide

Andromeda Tower Petronas Towers

Weichsel Bridge Warsaw

Mega Bridge Bangkok

Sharq Building Kuwait

And Many More

North Danube Bridge, Hungary

Turning Torso, Malmo

And at Millau

Section Through a Complete External Climbing Unit

Pouring Platform
Lattice with suspended formwork elements

Self climbing system ACS with hydraulic ram (caterpillar) Struts punch against wall

Rail Climbing Shoe Finishing Platform

One Complete Lift of the Shutter and Carriage

How the Rail is Lifted

Section Through a Complete External Climbing Unit

Pouring Platform
Lattice with suspended formwork elements

Self climbing system ACS with hydraulic ram (caterpillar) Struts punch against wall

Rail Climbing Shoe Finishing Platform

The Anchors

Advantages of the ACS System

Self Climbing Can climb without crane Carries the shutters on retracting carriage so all shutter work can be done on board Carries follow up platform for finishing off tasks Can operate in 180km/h winds Acts as windshield for rebar fixing and internal work Allows all shutter modifications

ACS

ACS is a self contained system that allows pure repetition of procedure with each climb, simplifying high rise concrete construction, and offering tremendous speed of turn round.

Advantages of 4m lift heights

Straightforward shutter maintenance on deck Easier control of concrete pours Highly accurate plumbing of shutters Greater adherence to performance tolerances Optimum positioning of ties
One level in pour means less hole plugging

Allows 3 day pour cycle. Allows maximum repetition of procedure actually very logical

Strict Formwork tolerances All edges are sharp and straight No horizontal board lines within the 4m pour Minimum no. of Ties and regular tie pattern and level Regular and unobtrusive anchor pattern 0.5mm tolerance on vertical panel joints Max allowed 5mm deflection over 2m length of shutter face plate Trapezoidal inverse beading delineates pours

The concrete and the shutter

60N/mm strength Generated face pressure on shutter of 100kN/m2 Reduce ties by tying over top of pour Consequently use steel faced and backed shutter

Waler for Tie positions

Pier Profile
RunningTaper design means pier footprint changes dramatically P2 starts at 27m x 18m and tapers to 14.4m x 16.13m in single section Twin section tapers from 14.4m x 16.13m to 11m x 15.5m Need formwork system that can accommodate that change in layout With a pier involving over 60 pours, each one is different!!!!!, Each subsequent pour is 4m further off the ground

The Changing Face of the Formwork

In Conclusion, the challenge is

To take a system based on repetition and use it on a job with NO REPETITION in the climb whatsoever.

The Shutter - How do we cope with changing Geometry ? Adaptaptability Identify areas that remain Constant

Viaduc de Millau Description of the formwork solution

External Formwork
Box out Basic element Compensation elements Basic element

External Shutter Adaptation

Telescopic Waler

Sliding Corner

Adaptation to the geometry

Telescopic Waler

Rear of Steel Shutter

Telescopic steel waler in compensation area

Shutter rises and closes (exaggerated)

Corner Closes (exaggerated)

Sliding Corner

The Corner Pieces

Articulated corner connection

Corner connection in compensation area

The Platforms need to Adapt Also

Telescopic area

Removables

Internal Platforms

Telescopic area

Internal Climbing System

Every 8 lifts a concrete cross slab is cast internally

Prevents continued use of rail climbing system

Use conventional crane handled jump form system

PERI SKS

The Internal Climbing System The issues of adaption remain, but here the crane is used to lift units up and occasionally out.

Major Internal Adaptions Can crane entire units out for modification

The Twin Pier Section

Twin Pier Platforms Externals

Twin Pier Sections Internal

Dont Forget Your Packed Lunch !!!

The Finishes

The Concrete Finish on the less exposed faces

What was Used 3 complete sets of formwork and climbing kit for single pier structures (External) 3 sets for above (Internal) 3 complete sets for twin pier structures (External) 3 Sets for above (Internal) 1 complete set for the transition area from single to twin pier (Internal and External) Kit moved from pier to pier as programme needed 6.5km2 of formwork face 196 ACS Frames 96 SKS Frames (Internal) 12 special frames

Design Demands

For those of you who like paperwork 800 Formwork Drawings 100 Assembly Plans 200 Method Statements

9th December 2003

The worlds tallest piers are all completed

Not to be outdone

PERIs celebrations were a little more modest

The Finish on the Exposed Faces

The Peerless Piers

Millau My - What a Bridge !.....

A perspective on the height..

The Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado

The Millau Toll Plaza

The Segment Factory

Segments or Elements cast inside factory shutter Since segments were to be joined in final construction the neighbouring segment was cast above. Used Ceracem instead of Reinforced concrete

The Queen Bee and her Offspring

Pre-Cast Elements

The Finished Article A 98m x 28m Concrete Canopy Bolted and tensioned Segments Locates on 4 pairs of trees 4km from viaduct Stunning Gateway to an inspiring structure

The Millau Viaduct

2.46km Long on a 20km radius The longest multiple cable stay bridge in the world The Tallest bridge piers in the world (244.96m) One third taller than the previous tallest Tip of the Pylon is 343m high

Timeline
16th October 2001
Construction Starts

November 2002
P2 reaches 100m height

26th February 2003

Deck launch begins

28th May 2003

P2 clears 180m to surpass Kochertal Viaduct and become worlds tallest pier

November 2003
Completion of the piers

26th March 2004

Southern deck reaches P3

4th April 2004

North Deck reaches P2

28th May
The Decks meet

16th December 2004

Its Open at Night, Too

So what do you get for your 400m Euros

700,000 visitors in first 9 months In summer now gets up to 50,000 vehicles per day Of Course, you could always have .

A Regional Icon

A Global Structure