General | 18. October 2023 Efficiently securing cargo handling in ports: Rehabilitation of the rail joints of container gantry cranes with MM1018 P

At the EUROGATE Container Terminal Hamburg, 24 container gantry cranes enable the efficient handling of goods from ships
onto quays. Weighing up to 2,100 tons, the steel colossi on rails can move loads of up to 66 tons – with a total lifting heightof 70 meters. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the container gantry cranes, and thus the fast handling of goods in
the Port of Hamburg, at full capacity in the long term, force-locking gap compensation was carried out at the rail joints of the
bridges using DIAMANT‘s Liquid Shim^® MM1018. The rehabilitation concept was developed by EUROGATE and
DIAMANT Polymer GmbH in order to be able to jointly remedy a problem that existed worldwide.

The joints at the 90° folding jib transition, which facilitates berthing and unberthing of ships, are a well-known and notorious wear point in container gantry cranes. Here, under permanently high loads, settlements or displacements frequently occur. This results in unevenness in the rail joint, which is problematic for safe crane operation.

Compressive compensation of gaps, joints and imperfections

In Hamburg, but also in other container terminals of EUROGATE, DIAMANT MM1018 P was used as a compression-resistant leveling material to level gaps, joints and imperfections at the rail joints. The Liquid Shim^® was used to efficiently create positive and non-positive connections between the upper chords of the crane runway and the steel lamellas of the newly laid crane rails.

The new crane rails were attached to the existing girder in Hamburg using steel lamellas. The resulting gap between the new steel lamella and the old steel girder was professionally filled with MM1018 by a DIAMANT installation team.

Professional application by an installation team from DIAMANT

Before application, the contact surfaces were cleaned and treated with a special release agent spray. The paste-like MM1018 P, delivered ready for use, was applied by the experienced specialists in the center of the lamella, on both sides of the transition. After the rail (including the lamella) was set down in its final position, the escaping material was carefully removed. The curing of MM1018 P is temperature and volume dependent. In 24 hours, a compressive strength of up to 90 N/mm2 can be achieved.
After seven days, the compressive strength is up to 122 N/mm2.

Time- and cost-saving refurbishment ensures permanent high operation

Thanks to the professional refurbishment, it was possible to create a force-fit, permanent connection between the steel parts in Hamburg in a time- and cost-saving manner, which enables optimum load transfer into the girder structure. The refurbishment method, which was new for EUROGATE, enabled the terminal operator to realize significant time and cost savings. The first land-to-water transition was rehabilitated on July 13, 2021, and remains in perfect condition today. Further applications of the
Liquid Shim^®, on container gantry cranes in Hamburg and Bremen, followed in the course of 2022 and 2023. DIAMANT Managing Director Carsten Kunde is pleased to be able to make a contribution „with our Liquid Shim^® to ensuring the efficient handling of goods in container ports in the long term“.

„Currently, we are also in talks with other ports in Rotterdam and Turkey about the refurbishment of container bridges.“
Carsten Kunde

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