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Weighing in at 40 tonnes apiece, these two fabrications will
be playing a crucial, if unseen, role at the new Wembley Stadium now under
construction in North London and due to open in two year's time.
The fabrications, designed by Rotherham-based consulting engineers
Bennett Asssociates and manufactured by AK Heavy Engineering in Sheffield, are
the bearing blocks on which the most striking visual feature of the new stadium,
a massive 133-metre-high steel arch, will stand. The structure will span the
whole stadium and support the north roof and 60 per cent of the weight of the
south roof, which will be retractable to allow sunlight and fresh air to reach
the grass. At 315 metres long, it will be the longest single roof structure in
the world.
The bearing blocks, now being installed on site, have been
designed to carry loads of 3000 tonnes each when the arch is in place. They also
have to rotate so that the arch, which will be fabricated and attached to the
blocks on the ground, can be pivoted into its final vertical position. Once the
roof is in position, the blocks will be welded to form a permanent rigid
structure.
The steel fabrications are 3.5 metres high and incorporate
250mm-thick base plates and a number of fins and vertical plates up to 340mm
thick. The pins on which the arch rotates are 400mm in diameter and 1400mm long.
Bennetts are also working with Cleveland Bridge, the main
contractor for the arch and roof, on an access system for maintaining the arch
and the design of the connecting nodes for the roof support cables.
For more information, contact us on
01709-373782 February 2004 |
