This lift bridge is located over the Kaiser Wilhelm channel, near Brunsbüttel port. It has a total length of 260 meters and its mainly made of concrete. The bridge has 2 pairs of steel structure towers through which the lift span can move upward and downwards, allowing a clearance for vessels to cross. A picture of the bridge can be seen below:
Geometry and materials
The subsystem chosen for the life cycle analysis is the lift span, located in the center of the total length. This span has 33 meters long and 12.1 meters wide.
The structural design of the deck consists of an open deck grating with longitudinal box steel girders and transversal beams with section W610x217. A cross-section of the lift span can be seen in the picture below:
Maintenance interventions
The lifetime of the system is defined as 70 years. During that period, regular maintenance actions must be carried out over the subsystem. These actions are:
1. Regular maintenance
Intervals: every 3 years
Duration: 2 days
2. Deck replacement
Intervals: every 20 years
Duration: 14 days
3. Re-painting
Intervals: every 3 years
Duration: 2 days
The timeline below shows the interventions along the system lifetime:
