GOMACO World Index --- GOMACO World 37.1 - June 2009

 

Slipforming Canal in Northern Turkey

 

GP-2600

The GP-2600 with a front-mounted chain trimmer slipformed a new canal between Amasya and Tasova in northern Turkey.

Water has always been a precious commodity in the Amasya Province of northern Turkey. A famous canal, the Ferhat Water Canal, was first carved into the mountains during the late Hellenistic Age and early Roman Period, approximately 2000 years ago. It was constructed using the water balance system by opening tunnels on the carved rocks and forming vaulted walls using the natural slope of the land to make the water flow to the ancient city of Amasya.

Water is still a precious commodity in northern Turkey and the modern city of Amasya. The city is home to over 350,000 people. The entire province of Amasya is very agricultural and is famous for its apple crops. They also produce tobacco, peaches, cherries and okra.

A more modern method of building canals is currently underway near the city. Basat Elektrik Uretim & Tic. Ltd. Sti., based out of Istanbul, Turkey, is using a GOMACO GP-2600 paver to slipform three kilometers (1.9 miles) of new canal between the cities of Amasya and Tasova.

The new canal has a top width of 22.3 meters (73.2 ft), bottom width of 6.7 meters (22 ft), and 9.3 meter (30.5 ft) side slopes that are 150 millimeters (5.9 in) thick. The GP-2600 has the capabilities of paving canal profiles between six to 9.9 meters (19.7 to 32.5 ft) wide.

At the start of the project, over 2.5 million cubic meters (88,286,188 ft3) of material had to be excavated to build the new canal. A fleet of crawler dozers and excavators worked on the project getting the canal to the proper profile.

The GP-2600 was equipped with a chain trimmer to trim down any high spots in the crushed-gravel grade. The trimmer is capable of trimming up to 50 millimeters (2 in) of fine grade material.

Concrete for the canal was produced at an on-site mobile batch plant. Ready-mix trucks delivered the concrete to the paver. Slump averaged 50 millimeters (2 in).

The ready-mix trucks discharged into a concrete distribution system mounted to the front of the paver. The distribution system is an auger system with baffles that run along the slope of the canal. An auger moves the concrete down the slope, while the baffles collect the concrete to keep it from sliding down to the bottom of the 1.5:1 slope of the canal wall.

Behind the paver, a transverse joint cutter and two longitudinal disk wheel cutters cut the joints. Each is spaced three meters (10 ft) apart and the joint, itself. is 10 millimeters (0.4 in) wide. Finishers stood on a work bridge mounted to the back of the paver and applied a trowel finish to the surface of the canal and around the joints. Paving production averaged around 170 cubic meters (222 yd3) per hour.

Basat Elektrik’s portion of this canal is nearly finished. They plan on keeping their GP-2600 paver busy in the future on more canal work on 28 different hydroelectric projects. The work will be carried out over the next five years throughout the country of Turkey.

 

 

GP-2600

The GP-2600 paved each of the canal slopes are 9.3 meters (30.5 ft) wide.

 

GP-2600

Concrete was discharged into the concrete feeding system with an auger and baffles that fed it down the slope of the canal.

 

chain trimmer on GP-2600

The chain trimmer on the GP-2600 is capable of trimming up to 51 millimeters (2 in) of fine grade material in the canal.

 

 

 

 

 

GOMACO World Index

Subscribe to Receive GOMACO World Magazine