Project Description
The Zuidwestboog Meteren project is part of the Dutch “Hoogfrequent Spoorvervoer” program, designed to increase rail capacity between Meteren and Boxtel. The new rail connection will allow freight trains to travel more efficiently from the Betuweroute to southern routes and vice versa. This major infrastructure upgrade aims to create a more robust, flexible, and reliable rail network for goods transportation. Construction includes building large viaducts and piers, such as the Pergola structure, which will support the new track alignment.
Challenge
Pouring nearly 10-meter-high columns for the Pergola structure posed significant safety and technical challenges. Ensuring the safety of workers during the concrete pour was a top priority, while the team also needed accurate data on actual formwork pressure at traditional pouring speeds of 1 to 1.5 meters per hour. With the steel column formwork designed for a maximum pressure of 75 kN, understanding real pressure behavior was critical to avoid structural risks, especially under varying seasonal conditions.
Solution and Results
To address these challenges, Van Hattum en Blankevoort introduced Vemaventuri’s real-time formwork pressure monitoring system for the first time. The sensors provided continuous data during the pour, ensuring worker safety and delivering valuable insights into pressure development under real conditions. This allowed the team to validate the formwork design, optimize pouring strategies, and prepare for future pours in different weather scenarios.
Measured formwork pressures remained up to 40% below calculated design values, allowing the pouring time per pier to be safely reduced from approximately 8 hours to 4 hours.
The integration of Vemaventuri’s solution marked a major step toward safe and smart concrete operations on this large-scale infrastructure project.
Learn more about the project and access a detailed article (free for Betoniek members) here:
https://www.betoniek.nl/artikelen/de-druk-wordt-langzaam-opgevoerd
