RELAST REPAIRS BRIDGES WITHOUT CAUSING TRAFFIC JAMS
04/12/19
Würth’s reinforcing system approved by building authorities makes sure traffic is moving
Künzelsau. Würth’s RELAST reinforcing system has been approved by Deutsche Institut für Bautechnik (German Institute for Construction Technology, DIBt) in Berlin. Thanks to RELAST, complex repair measures on bridges, car parks, tunnels, underpasses and buildings can be made easily, quickly and efficiently, without taking the structures in question out of service.
Starting one’s holidays without being caught in a traffic jam
Traffic jams several kilometers long, detours, speed limits and road constrictions, constructions works for months on end that do not seem to progress at all—happening at the peak of the vacation period. Bridge repairs are often at the expense of road users, causing quite some stress for all those involved. Thanks to Würth’s RELAST system, this is a thing of the past. The RELAST system may be installed either from the top or the bottom of a structure, with bridge repairs performed from underneath. Therefore, such structures can be repaired while being used, without causing any traffic jams or requiring a detour.
“With RELAST, Würth offers a solution for concrete and reinforced concrete structures that is easy and quickly to use by engineers and construction crews. This way, many more repair works can be done in much shorter time. Operators and authorities may keep their structures in service while installing the system. This makes RELAST unique,” explains Thomas Klenk, Managing Director of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG responsible for Product Management, Purchasing and Exports.
A cost-efficient alternative
The traffic situation has changed immensely: Traffic is increasing, with ever more cars and trucks on the road. Existing bridges, tunnels and buildings often no longer meet the standards laid out in current design codes. Building owners, planners and building contractors are thus faced with completely new challenges. Particularly older structures do no longer withstand the increasing strain. Tearing down and rebuilding such structures would cause immense costs, not to mention congestions due to road closures. Using RELAST for reinforcing existing structures is therefore not just any alternative. It offers great advantages in costs and time.
RELAST in practice: Altstadtringtunnel under Munich’s Prinz Carl Palais
Munich’s main traffic artery was facing full closure for construction for years, causing total gridlock in the city center. Using the RELAST reinforcing system for the repair of Munich’s Altstadtringtunnel under Prinz Carl Palais kept traffic moving. Within only a few months, more than 7,000 RELAST adhesive screw anchors were installed to reinforce the tunnel ceiling. Other reinforcement measures would have resulted in longer repair works and complete closures. RELAST only requires partial closures and considerably reduces the repair time.
Repairing saves the environment
As opposed to new construction, repairing structures is much more environmentally friendly as it reduces CO2 emissions considerably. Studies show that a road fully closed for only one day, e.g. when building a replacement, has twice as high an environmental impact as the complete reinforcement of a structure. Building replacement structures takes several more months than repairing the structure, with the road closure causing quite an environmental impact.
“Tearing down and rebuilding structures does not only cost the taxpayers or private operators more but also has a huge impact on the environment because resources are wasted. RELAST is a really sustainable solution. That was an essential argument for developing the system“, says Peter Zürn, Member of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group.
A product developed by TOGE, a Würth Group subsidiary
The manufacturing skills of individual Group companies are a strong mainstay of the Würth Group. The RELAST reinforcing system was developed by TOGE Dübel GmbH & Co. KG based in Nuremberg in cooperation with Professor Jürgen Feix and Prof. Feix Ingenieure GmbH from Munich. In addition to producing the products, TOGE will also see to a constant further development. “We are proud that the many years of developing the RELAST system have been rewarded with the approval of the building authorities, thus marking a new milestone. It is a great motivation for us to get further innovative solutions ready for the market in the years to come,” says Andreas Gerhard, Managing Director of TOGE Dübel GmbH & Co. KG. Numerous tests in cooperation with various universities as well as independent expert opinions confirmed the suitability of RELAST adhesive screw anchors for the reinforcement of building structures, which is why DIBt has now approved the system.