News: Clever design aids ice station relocation

The British Antarctic Survey is getting ready to move its Halley VI Research Station 23 km across the ice and Rotherham-based design engineers are key to this mammoth task.

Halley VI is a series of modules built on the floating Brunt Ice Shelf, 10,000 miles from the UK, an icon for British science, architecture and engineering.

In 2007, Whiston-based M G Bennett and Associates (since acquired by Atkins, Europe's largest design and engineering consultancy) were responsible for designing the hydraulic leg jacking system for each module and producing detailed designs for the structure.

The legs were designed to resist the harsh Antarctic environment including temperatures as low as –50°C, as well as the high structural and wind loads. Added to that, the main problems of constructing a research station in the region are the build up of wind blown snow over time, as well as the gradual flow of the ice out to sea.

The design means that Halley VI can be moved vertically and even relocated – a world first.

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Once a year, the legs can be lifted up and snow piled underneath the feet to enable the level of the entire station to be raised. Previous stations became buried by snow and ice over time and were crushed by the weight and had to be abandoned.

The legs are also mounted on skis so that it is possible to pull individual modules to a new location on the ice shelf and re-assemble them into a station, avoiding the possibility that it could float out to sea on an iceberg.

Now that the station has emerged from months of winter darkness, operational teams are ready to tow the station to its new home. This involves uncoupling the eight station modules and using large tractors to transport each module further inland. Scientific research at Halley will continue in temporary facilities at the existing site and move to the new location next season.

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Tim Stockings, director of operations at the British Antarctic Survey, said: "Halley was designed and engineered specifically to be re-located in response to changes in the ice. Over the last couple of years our operational teams have been meticulous in developing very detailed plans for the move and we are excited by the challenge.

"Antarctica can be a very hostile environment. Each summer season is very short – about nine weeks. And because the ice and the weather are unpredictable we have to be flexible in our approach. We are especially keen to minimise the disruption to the science programmes. We have planned the move in stages – the science infrastructure that captures environmental data will remain in place while the stations modules move."

The relocation project will be carried out over three years.

Atkins website


Images: Hugh Broughton Architects

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News: Nuclear AMRC sign Atkins partnership deal

The Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) and leading engineering consultancy Atkins have agreed to work together on nuclear industry research & development and on support and training for the UK's civil nuclear supply chain.

The £25m Nuclear AMRC is a joint initiative with industry, The University of Sheffield and The University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute, and is designed to help build and enhance the UK's civil nuclear new build industry.

With state-of-the-art facilities on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the Nuclear AMRC is the focal point for the civil nuclear manufacturing industry in the UK. Part of the government's High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the centre helps to develop capability and competitiveness in the nuclear supply chain through process manufacturing innovation and R&D, driving up quality and reducing cost.

Experts in engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services, Atkins has a reputation for delivering engineering excellence worldwide including in many countries which are considering adding nuclear power to their energy mix.

In 2008, Atkins acquired Rotherham design engineers, Bennett Associates to strengthen its position in the nuclear sector. The Whiston firm has been involved in the nuclear industry for over 20 years and their mechanical engineering designers have worked on systems for the Sizewell B nuclear power station, lifting frames for nuclear submarines and the design and analysis of nuclear shield doors and restraints.

Atkins and the Nuclear AMRC have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together for mutual benefit in areas relating to nuclear research & development, UK civil nuclear supply chain development, and the provision of effective support to the UK civil nuclear industry.

"Both groups will contribute expertise, experience and knowhow to their shared aims.

Mike Tynan, chief executive at the Nuclear AMRC, said: "I am delighted to sign a collaboration agreement with Atkins, a successful, experienced and innovative company in the global civil nuclear marketplace. Both of our organisations are committed to excellence in the nuclear industry and are determined to drive a new era of civil nuclear power for the UK. We share a particular interest in the development of the UK civil nuclear supply chain, skills for the future and economic value for the UK through the creation of value in the civil nuclear programme."

Chris Ball, managing director of Atkins' nuclear business, added: "Atkins and the Nuclear AMRC share the spirit of innovation, collaboration and excellence, and we are looking forward to working together.  This is a very exciting time for the nuclear industry in the UK and internationally, and by working closely on pioneering projects with partners like Nuclear AMRC, we're making a real difference to civil nuclear power in the UK."

The Nuclear AMRC has also signed an agreement to work with US-based reactor developer NuScale, on the development of a groundbreaking small modular reactor.

It follows on from a recent visit to Rotherham to discuss the development of a combined containment vessel and reactor system that measures around 25 metres in length by five metres diameter, small enough to be transported by a single lorry, and features state-of-the-art passive safety systems which significantly reduce risks associated with current reactor designs.

Nuclear AMRC website

Images: Nuclear AMRC

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News: Atkins help bring The Kelpies to life

Recently opened to the public, The Kelpies, two 300 tonne, 30-metre-high stainless steel-plated horse sculptures in Scotland are ultimate examples of art meeting engineering, and key to the project becoming reality is the Rotherham-based team at Atkins.

Atkins, one of the world's leading design, engineering and project management consultancies, acquired MG Bennett & Associates Ltd in 2008. With a team of around 30 people, MG Bennett was formed in 1984 and is based at Whiston in Rotherham. The company specialises in mechanical and structural engineering and has a strong track record in delivering solutions to the nuclear industry.

The Atkins team has been working on The Kelpies with Scottish artist, Andy Scott, from when the idea was first conceived in 2008. Part of the new 350 hectare Helix Park regeneration project in Falkirk, they are the biggest art installation in the country and the largest equine sculptures in the world. Forming a dramatic entrance to the Forth and Clyde canal which crosses central Scotland, the impressive sculptures are hoped to draw 350,000 visitors to the area each year. Visitors are able to follow guided tours and walk inside the sculptures to examine the complex internal structure.

It is the second time that the Rotherham team has worked on a significant project on the canal with M G Bennett & Associates designing the mechanical and electrical equipment for the impressive Falkirk Wheel Boatlift.

With The Keplies, Atkins began with the initial feasibility study for Scottish Canals and worked closely with the artist to develop an engineering solution without impacting on the his vision for the sculpture.

The Kelpies were based on mythological water horses which inhabit lochs and rivers in Scottish legend and it was originally intended for them to move as part of the lock displacement system on the canal.

Atkins was tasked with working out how the finished pieces could be constructed and how best to achieve the horse skin appearance that Scott envisaged.

Working from Scott's three metre maquettes at 1:10 of the finished installation, the design engineers developed all engineering aspects of the structure for the manufacturing tender and had to devise design and manufacturing processes for the Kelpie "skin" plates: grouping the original panels, creating the flattened profiles for the plates to be profiled and assessing the individual support locations for connection to the underlying structure.

The structure was completed by Yorkshire-based SH Structures with Outokumpu in Sheffield supplying 990 outer skin panels from nearly 200 tonnes of laser cut stainless steel.

John Bullock, principal engineer at Atkins, said: "The engineering of the Kelpies was extremely technical and involved a number of challenges. For example, the idea that visitors would be allowed inside the horse heads meant that we couldn't engineer normal central support columns to counteract the force of wind that the Kelpies would be exposed to on an open site. Because of this we had to place vertical supports at the front and back of the horse heads close to the horse's "skin" so the visual of the internal structure for visitors wasn't compromised."

Felicity Starr, senior engineer on The Kelpies project for Atkins, added: "I think The Kelpies showcase what can be achieved with lots of imagination and teamwork as well as ingenious manufacturing techniques. It has been incredible being part of something so unique and innovative."

The Kelpies website
Atkins website

Images: The Helix

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News: Atkins in nuclear engineering joint venture

Atkins and Assystem are to form a strategic alliance to create a 50/50 nuclear engineering joint venture to provide consultancy and engineering services to the rapidly-expanding international nuclear new build market.

The Nuclear Atkins Assystem Alliance will enable both companies to address demand from governments and utilities in countries developing nuclear power as part of their energy mix and will provide services to nuclear new build projects and across the entire nuclear fuel cycle.

Britain's Atkins and France's Assystem are recognised by key participants in the global nuclear power industry for their engineering expertise and the two companies each enjoy more than 40 years experience in the nuclear sector.

Atkins has a reputation for delivering engineering excellence worldwide including in many countries which are considering adding nuclear power to their energy mix.

Assystem has built its engineering reputation in some of the world's safest, most advanced nuclear technologies by working with such market leaders as AREVA and EDF, supporting them on all of their projects in France and abroad.

Headquartered in France, the alliance will combine Atkins' and Assystem's strengths to position both companies to take advantage of opportunities in the international nuclear market estimated to see more than 200 new reactors over the next 20 years.

The companies will continue to serve their home markets of the UK and France as separate entities.

Keith Clarke, chief executive of Atkins, said: "Nuclear engineering is a key part of Atkins' strategy going forward. The alliance with Assystem will give us a strong platform from which to deliver nuclear services to emerging international markets.

"The combination of our collective nuclear expertise will position us superbly to pursue opportunities in a broader array of markets with a wider range of services which go beyond our considerable presence in our own home markets."

Dominique Louis, chairman of the Assystem management board, added: "By combining our capabilities and the experience acquired in the French and British nuclear programmes, which are among the world’s most advanced, Assystem and Atkins will together deliver unrivalled nuclear engineering excellence to governments and utilities."

In 2008, Atkins acquired Rotherham design engineers, Bennett Associates to strengthen its position in the nuclear sector.

They have been involved in the nuclear industry for over 20 years and their mechanical engineering designers have worked on systems for the Sizewell B nuclear power station, lifting frames for nuclear submarines and the design and analysis of nuclear shield doors and restraints.

Atkins website

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News: Atkins Rotherham aid Forgemasters with nuclear manufacturing

Design experts at Atkins Rotherham have helped Sheffield Forgemasters International Limited (SFIL) in the manufacture of large nuclear reactor parts.

SFIL required a 5.5m diameter rotating table under their largest press, (10,000 tons) so that parts of up to 300 tons can be rotated beneath the press enabling ingots to be forged into the desired shape.

SFIL is the only UK company carrying ASME certification to manufacture civil nuclear castings and forgings and has a long established history of manufacturing for nuclear power production including power generation systems, nuclear fuel transportation and storage and partnerships in the Westinghouse supply chain.

Experts at Atkins had to design a solution that could endure the temperature of the work piece direct from the furnace at 1,250 degrees C and could withstand the maximum forging load even at the edge of the turntable.

The rotating top surface of the table was designed using segments to allow thermal expansion and movement. Beneath these segments, a thicker circular plate transmits the press loads into the base. It is contained in an insulation layer to reduce the heat transfer.

12 hydraulic cylinders are used to lift the circular top plate and the work piece which can have a maximum combined weight of 400 tons. Four more hydraulic motors can then rotate them on a large slew bearing.

The cylinders continue to lower which disconnects the slew bearing from the top plate preventing any of the 10,000 ton press load being transmitted into the slew ring or the hydraulic cylinders.

The table also includes a large central hydraulic cylinder which provides the capability to lift the forged component off the table surface to allow lifting equipment to be secured and lift the forging away.

With the table in place, the forging operation can take place three times a minute with a maximum of a 90 degree table rotation between each forging. The whole forging process lasts for at most one hour.

Atkins, Europe's largest design and engineering consultancy, strengthened its position in the nuclear sector with the acquisition of Rotherham's MG Bennett & Associates in 2008.

They have been involved in the nuclear industry for over 20 years and their mechanical engineering designers have worked on systems for the Sizewell B nuclear power station, lifting frames for nuclear submarines and the design and analysis of nuclear shield doors and restraints.

Atkins Rotherham website
Sheffield Forgemasters website

Images: bennettmg.co.uk / sheffieldforgemasters.com

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News: Poole Harbour bridge design made possible by Rotherham experts

Eadon, the mechanical and structural engineering design consultants based in Rotherham, has provided technical assistance for a spectacular moving bridge at Poole Harbour in Dorset.

HOCHTIEF UK has recently been successful with their tender for the construction of the Twin Sails Bridge thanks to Eadon's assistance on the procurement of the mechanical, electrical and hydraulic equipment.

By reducing traffic pressure on Poole's existing road bridge, the new second crossing is an essential component in the town's strategy for future growth.

The bridge is part of an initiative by Poole Borough Council to regenerate the area including new homes, employment opportunities and public open space that together will lever in significant investment. It will provide critical infrastructure for 26 hectares of brownfield land and unlock one of the largest regeneration sites in the South West.

The £20m bridge was designed by architects, Wilkinson Eyre and incorporates a flat deck with two hydraulically operated lifting sections that are designed to mirror the shape of racing yachts passing through the bridge.

Eadon's director and senior engineer, Michael Thorogood was also responsible for the detailed exemplar design and specification of the mechanical, electrical, control and hydraulic elements of the bridge when he worked at fellow Rotherham company, MG Bennett Associates (now Atkins Bennett).

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, Eadon Consulting is an engineering design consultancy working across a number of sectors, with expertise in mechanical, control, hydraulic and structural design.

Eadon Consulting website

Images: Wilkinson Eyre / eadonconsulting.co.uk

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News: Rotherham design experts solve engineering problem

Design experts at Atkins Rotherham have designed specialised equipment for a bridge inspection system never before used in the UK.

Consulting engineers turned to Bennett Associates in Rotherham, part of the Atkins group, when they wanted to use an invasive technique to inspect some of the 11,600 individual high-tensile wires supporting the Forth road bridge.

It required the outer wrapping wire to be uncoiled, wooden wedges to be driven into the cables to open them and then sample wires to be removed for inspection and analysis. In the case of the Forth bridge, the work was carried out at five positions on each cable, some of them 80 metres above the road deck.

Once the inspections and sampling at each location was completed, the cables had to be returned to their original profile, re-wound in galvanised wire and have the final protective coatings applied.

Bennett designed the specialised equipment required to compact the cable, apply the wrapping wire and provide safe working for the high-level work.

For the high-level inspections, platforms were suspended from the main cables between the vertical hangers up to 80 metres above the bridge deck to provide weather protection for the staff, machinery and cable interior. They measured 18 metres long x 3.5 metres wide, weigh around 12 tonnes and are designed to be used in wind speeds of 30mph gusting to 35mph.

To return the cable to its original shape, Bennett experts designed a special compacting machine capable of applying a maximum hydraulic load of 95 tonnes at 700bar.

Designers also came up with a mechanised technique that would ensure the wrapping wire would be applied consistently at the correct tension and also ensure that each turn of the wire would lie tightly against the previous one.

This work has also been completed on the Severn and Humber suspension bridges thanks to the design engineers in Rotherham.

Atkins Bennett website
Rotherham

Images: bennettmg.co.uk

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News: Rotherham design experts and the Kelpies of Scotland

Bennett Associates in Rotherham has been awarded the contract for the development of a new displacement sea lock on the River Carron, Scotland and will help to bring a mythical Celtic animal to life.


The lock will feature two gigantic equine sculptures and will become the centrepiece for the £45m Helix Project, a joint venture between Falkirk Council, British Waterways and the Central Scotland Forest Trust to transform unused land between Falkirk and Grangemouth.

The 30m high structures were designed by Scottish artist Andy Scott and are inspired by the Kelpie - a supernatural water horse from Celtic folklore that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland.

Sculpted as though captured in movement, the horses will move to create the displacement of water required to operate the lock and lift vessels from one section of the canal to the other.

It will be down to experts at Bennett to design of all engineering aspects of the structures including the operational mechanism, the new lock, gates and walkways as well as providing the technical supervision of the fabrication and erection of the sculptures.

A key challenge will be to effectively translate the artist's concept sculpture into a full scale functional structure.

Bennett were also responsible for the design engineering behind the impressive Falkirk Wheel boatlift.

Bennett was bought by Atkins in 2008 and the Rotherham site is considered a centre of excellence within the Atkins Group.

Atkins Bennett website
Rotherham

Images: bennettmg.co.uk / falkirkonline.net

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News: Rotherham design experts solve engineering problem

Mechanical design experts from Atkins Bennett in Rotherham have solved a major engineering problem using their knowledge of horizontal directional drilling.



Stockton Drilling Ltd called on their expertise when faced with the problem of installing a cable duct for an offshore wind farm in Cumbria that had to go under a railway line and via an environmentally sensitive beach.

Horizontal directional drilling is a technique developed from oilfield technology and enables pipelines to be installed beneath canals, rivers, railways, roads and environmentally sensitive areas without the necessity for unsightly and expensive excavation or trenching work.

A horizontal drill rig is used to drill a pilot hole which is then reamed to a required diameter. Bentonite mud is pumped to the reaming tool creating a "caked" lining before the pipe or cable is carefully pulled through.

Atkins Bennett were responsible for the mechanical design of the duct and developing the route and profile of the drill. They also designed the supporting structure for a jack up barge that provided a working platform out at sea during the complex operation.

The biggest challenge was that the drill exit point was close to the low tide mark, and only exposed for a few hours at a time. In order to minimise the risk and environmental contamination, the experts designed a sleeve that could be installed over the exit point to contain the drilling fluid.

Despite poor weather making the jack up barge inaccessible for several days at a time, the drill was completed and the duct pulled through successfully. The wind farm is in its commissioning phase, and the first of the turbines have already started to generate power.

Atkins Bennett website
Rotherham

Images: bennettmg.co.uk

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News: Capital progress thanks to Bennett's design

Design experts at Rotherham firm, Bennett Associates have helped to come up with a solution to having to transport construction materials on the congested streets of London.

By opening up existing waterways in East London, a more sustainable and practical alternative has been developed that will enable a huge array of construction materials to be transported to the area by barge.

Completed in June 2009, it will provide a green freight route for the redevelopment of East London as well as a platform for a new "Water City". New opportunities will be created for leisure boats, water taxis, trip boats and floating restaurants, providing a boost to the local economy.

British Waterways lead the £20m project for a new lock and water control structure on Prescott Channel in Bromley-by-Bow to service the large scale construction projects in the area.

The project was undertaken by main contractor Volker Stevin Ltd. Bennett Associates formed part of the supporting design team, bringing to the project their extensive expertise in locks and waterways.

Bennett Associates were consulting engineers for the structural, mechanical and electrical design of a new river impounding structure for the development. This included the design and supervision of lock gates and all associated hydraulic and control systems.

Based in Whiston, Bennett Associates is considered a centre of excellence within the Atkins Group.

Bennett Associates website
Rotherham

Images: British Waterways

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News: Bennett design provides a real lift

Designers at Rotherham company MG Bennett Ltd have provided a real lift to users of the Macduff Harbour Slipway.

The Macduff Harbour Slipway lies on the North Aberdeenshire Coast and services the local fishing fleet with both ship building and repair facilities.

MG Bennett and Associates Ltd were engaged to produce the design of a new ship lift for client Aberdeenshire Council and R J McLeod, the contractor.

The new facilities allow boats to be taken out of the water and held in a safe working environment on the slipway.

Bennett's designers provided the structural design of the haulage and traversing carriages, the mechanical design of the bilge beams to accommodate ships of different beams and the specification of the hydraulic and control systems.

Three styles of traversing cradle were designed to accommodate vessels of different sizes from the fishing fleet.

The installed ship lift can accommodate a ship with a keel of 25 metres in length, a displacement 350 tonnes and a maximum beam 10 metres.

Last year, MG Bennett was acquired by Atkins, Europe's largest design and engineering consultancy.

MG Bennett website

Rotherham

Images: bennettmg.co.uk

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News: Turning Timepiece Building to break ground thanks to Rotherham specialist

The world's first turning "Timepiece" building, 55ºTime Dubai, is to break ground in the City of Arabia, Dubai with the official launch of the tower scheduled for January 2009. Combining sophisticated design with advanced, solar-powered rotation technology, 55ºTime Dubai has already won the CNBC Arabia Best High Rise architecture award for the design by British architect Glenn Howells. World-renowned rotation specialist Nick Cooper of Bennett Associates in Rotherham is the project patron and developer of the internationally patented rotation concepts that will turn the building. Driven by solar power, the whole structure will rotate at just one centimetre per minute allowing occupants to enjoy a panoramic 360º view over the course of a week. Recognised for his work on such projects as the sub-sea drilling equipment for the Channel Tunnel, the Falkirk Wheel and, most recently, his air-wing on the world's largest passenger aircraft the luxury A380 Airbus, Cooper says 55ºTime Dubai posed new challenges. "We had to design a machine that was energy efficient, with precision engineering in mind, but also make sure that it would be serviceable to move the building for the life of the superstructure. "The movement of the machine is to complement the tower's elegant look, with everything designed to balance and mathematically fit. The patented mechanism is also adaptable to carry taller buildings in line with other Timepiece projects being designed globally."
Bennett Associates website

55 Time Dubai website
Rotherham

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News: Atkins acquires Rotherham firm in £2.5m deal

Atkins, Europe's largest design and engineering consultancy, has strengthened its position in the nuclear sector with the acquisition of MG Bennett & Associates Ltd for a cash consideration of £2.5 million. With a team of around 30 people, MG Bennett was formed in 1984 and is based at Whiston in Rotherham. The company specialises in mechanical and structural engineering and has a strong track record in delivering solutions to the nuclear industry. In addition to its nuclear expertise, the company works within the aerospace, oil and gas, power, environmental and rail sectors and has a renowned reputation in the design of bespoke mechanical equipment and large moveable structures. MG Bennett has worked on high profile projects such as the Channel Tunnel, the Falkirk Wheel, the Forth Road Bridge and Airbus A380. Nick Cooper, managing director of MG Bennett and one of the founding partners, said: "We are really proud of what we have achieved as a business and becoming part of Atkins allows our staff to unleash their full potential. I look forward to working with the teams in Atkins to provide solutions to the challenging opportunities in the nuclear industry and also to continue a high level of work for our existing clients."
MG Bennett website
Atkins website

Yorkshire Post article

Second Yorkshire Post article
Rotherham

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News: Rotherham designers out in the cold

Researchers at the British Antarctic Survey will be thanking Rotherham designers as they carry out research in some of the harshest conditions on earth. M G Bennett and Associates Ltd were responsible for the detailed design of the hydraulic leg jacking system for the new Antarctic research station, Halley VI. The legs have been designed to resist the harsh Antarctic environment including temperatures as low as –50°C, as well as the high structural and wind loads that they will experience. Maintaining a station on an ice shelf presents a number of challenges. The main problems are the build up of wind blown snow over time, as well as the gradual flow of the ice out to sea. The new design will mean that Halley VI can be moved vertically and even relocated. Once a year, the legs can be lifted up and snow piled underneath the foot to be able to raise the level of the entire station. The legs are also mounted on skis so that in the future it will be possible to pull individual modules to a new location on the ice shelf and re-assemble them into a station. The modules are permanently sitting on the hydraulic cylinders which meant that specialist hydraulic valves, as well as a continuous monitoring system, were developed. All of the Rotherham designed legs have now been manufactured, shipped to Antarctica and fitted to the module frames. It is anticipated the station will be completed in 2011.

MG Bennett website

Rotherham

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News: Rotherham design expert turning heads

Further details are being released regarding 55° Time Dubai, the world's first turning timepiece building. 55° Time Dubai is a precision "Timepiece Building" powered by the sun that will rotate 360° in 7 days, offering 360° panoramic views from penthouse apartments providing a new view of the city every day. The designs of the individual Timepiece Buildings will be the product of internationally renowned designers and architects incorporating the latest in eco friendly technology. At the heart of the design team is Nick Cooper, Managing Director of Bennett Associates in Rotherham, who is tasked with designing a 80,000 building that rotates like clockwork. Bennett's previous moving designs include the Channel Tunnel, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the Falkirk Wheel. Shortly after the project was announced in 2006, Nick told Arabian Business: "I have a base design with a very solid foundation, and off that, the building. Between the two we have got this bearing system. I am using a technique that was employed by the Egyptians to lift and move heavy loads, and quite frankly it’s the right technique to use because of its simplicity." 360° Time World is to build 24 rotating mixed use (hotel and residential), sustainable, eco friendly buildings in leading cities of the world.
Bennett Associates website
55° Time Dubai website
Zawya article
Arabian Business article
Rotherham

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News: Rotherham experts help to lay the track for the world's longest guided busway

The construction of a guided busway on a disused Cambridgeshire railway called on designers at Rotherham firm Bennett Associates to come up with an innovate, flexible and efficient solution. Bennett Associates was contracted by Edmund Nuttall Limited for Cambridgeshire County Council to design a bespoke track laying solution that could overcome the problem of laying track through narrow railway bridges as well as having a minimal impact on the environment. A lightweight, compact system in the form of a gantry crane was developed that was productive, yet versatile enough to deal with the constraints of the limited track width and mixed ground conditions. "The design of the crane is completely unique, there is nothing else quite like this. We had to develop a bespoke solution to be able to overcome the difficult conditions presented by the project," said James Hill, Mechanical Design Engineer at Bennett Associates. "The biggest challenge was designing a crane that was lightweight enough to drive along the guideway without breaking it, yet strong enough to lift the 32 tonne concrete track segments," he added. When completed, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway will be the longest guided busway in the world. It is estimated that 11,500 journeys a day will be made on the guideway.
Bennett Associates website

Rotherham

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