Wirtgen machines at Beijing’s new airport

Slipform pavers from Wirtgen have played important roles for the Beijing New International Airport project. The four Wirtgen slipform pavers have been used for the construction of the apron area for the new Chinese airport.
June 10, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Designed for over one flight movement per minute: the traffic areas need to withstand high loads

The airport is scheduled to start operations on September 30th, 2019 and when it is complete, Beijing New International Airport will become be the world's largest airport. The huge new facility will play a key transport role as Beijing is a major air passenger hub for Asia. The new airport is located 67km from China’s capital city, along the border to Hebei province. It will relieve pressure on the existing airport northeast of Beijing, currently the world’s second-largest in terms of passenger volume. The new airport is expected to handle 45 million passengers at first but will have a total capacity of 100 million.

W_photo_SP500_01227_PR.jpg
A fleet of Wirtgen slipform pavers has been used at Beijing New International Airport in Daxing to construct the apron area, with a parking capacity of 268 aircraft

Low temperatures of around 0°C during the cold winters in Beijing were one of the challenges the Beijing Sino-Aero Construction Engineering Co, team faced during the construction period of the large apron area. A total of four 2395 Wirtgen SP 500 slipform pavers were used for paving single-layer concrete slabs 5m wide and 420mm thick over fixed forms. Levelling and steering parameters were communicated to the Wirtgen machine control system using string-line sensors. To withstand the high aircraft loads, the concrete slabs have been reinforced by means of steel dowels. High productivity and machine availability meant that the strict daily production targets were achieved, allowing the tight timeline to be met.

Cost factors are important for large projects and when choosing an equipment fleet, a contractor has to consider several factors. Minimising manpower was one of the main criteria considered by Sino-Aero Construction Engineering. The firm concluded that the Wirtgen slipform pavers would meet the demands of the automated concrete paving work to be carried out.

The paving work was carried out within the necessary parameters, as scheduled. The paving mold slipformed the concrete, exceeding the required specifications. Electrical vibrators were used to provide the high-frequency vibrations needed for optimum compaction of the concrete during the slipforming work. And the oscillating beam and super-smoother then provided the required finish for the new pavement.

Concrete milling, paving & compaction

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Smart road surfacing in a tunnel
    August 19, 2022
    Smart road construction techniques have been used in the widest tunnel in Switzerland. Efficient operation and logistics were required for paving a width of 11.5m in the Gubrist Tunnel and contractor Marti AG Solothurn Bauunternehmung made good use of Vögele’s WITOS Paving Plus technology to optimise its work on the project.
    Read More
  • A double portion of power and precision – New DYNAPAC F1250CS Plus Compact Paver & RC360 Remote
    July 1, 2023
    Paving in urban areas comes with its own set of challenges and demands on machinery: tight spaces, weight limits, underground pipes, and old, exposed materials such as cobblestones require well-thought-out and innovative solutions. The popular Compact Paver F1250CS is now launched as a new model with a number of improvements as the Dynapac F1250CS Plus. The modifications to the previous model are aimed at even higher protection and comfort of the operator.
    Read More
  • Wirtgen paving technology takes off at Frankfurt
    February 27, 2017
    Time was at a premium for Wirtgen machinery when resurfacing the runway at Frankfurt/Main Airport Europe’s third largest airport, Frankfurt/Main, has new surface course on runways about every seven year, including the centre runway, the most-frequently used section.
    Read More
  • Advanced road recycling with Wirtgen
    November 4, 2019
    Wirtgen has developed its high-performance W 380 CRi cold recycler to meet requirements for roads requiring structural rehabilitation. This innovative machine is said to highly productive, allowing it to carry out structural road rehabilitation more quickly and with greater cost-effectiveness and quality than previous equipment.
    Read More

Highlighted Content