CONSTRUCTION OF LARGE STRUCTURES BY ROBOTIC CRANE PLACEMENT OF MODULAR BRIDGE SECTIONS

摘要

A system for rapid, cost-effective construction of highway bridges (12), traffic overpasses and bypasses, and causeways over water or wetlands utilizes light-lift crane sections together with modular, light-lift bridge sections and an enhanced stabilized crane (14), using controlled cables (32), to improve the safety and efficiency of the construction process. Stabilization of the payload against pendulation and rotation enables safe operation in harsh environmental situations such as wind. The construction system utilizes continuous site assembly processes for building bridges and causeways from repetitive modular elements (36). In some embodiments, the system uses the payload (one or more modular bridge sections) as a component of a stable lifting and positioning system, thereby eliminating the need for heavy auxiliary lifting equipment such as spreader bars and platforms. Lifting cables (32) of the crane are directly attached to the bridge payload, which becomes part of the lifting system during placement. Other embodiments utilize installed modular elements as a staging platform for constructing subsequent modular elements.