Load tests on a pedestrian and cycle bridge in warsaw

Project:
Static load testing of a pedestrian and cycle bridge commissioned by Budimex S.A. and carried out in conjunction with Gdansk University of Technology and Aspekt Laboratorium. The structure connects the two banks of Warsaw at Karowa and Stefana Okrzei streets. The project consisted of filling 21 tanks, each with a capacity of 21 m³, to test the comfort criteria of the structure, including the level of settlement measured by an accelerometer. Measurements had to be taken on each span of the structure. With a total length of nearly 453 m, the footbridge is the longest structure of its kind in Poland and the second longest in Europe.

The main assumptions of the tests:

– filling capacity of one tank about 17 l/s
–  injection height into reservoirs 18 m.
– filling tanks according to schedule and scheme
– 16 hours of supervision over the operation of pumps
– readiness to start backup pumps for injection
– water intake for testing from the Vistula River

RENTA PUMPS solutions:

To fill the tanks, we used a freestanding BBA BA80H high-pressure pump and PRORIL TANK 475 submersible pumps. Due to the length of the tested section of the pedestrian and bicycle bridge, an 11 m³ tank was installed on the right bank of the Vistula, which enabled direct transfer of water to the reservoirs located above. To inject water into the tank, we used a BBA BA150E centrifugal pump, supplemented by a BBA BA180KS backup pump. At the same time, according to the scheme developed by the Gdańsk University of Technology, we drained water from the tanks using Koshin KTX-80X pumps. The flow and volume of pumped water was controlled by Siemens flow meters. All static tests were carried out continuously – from early morning until late at night, which made it possible to obtain correct results.