As written by Trstdly,
Chinese engineers recently pulled off an incredible feat - rotating an entire
30,000 ton bus terminal building to make way for a high-speed rail project.
This marvel of engineering required years of planning and preparation to
smoothly slide the massive terminal nearly 300 meters to its new position.
Let's explore this astonishing achievement in detail and how it exemplifies
China's exceptional engineering capabilities.
The Houxi Bus Terminal located in Xiamen, Fujian Province is one of the largest
long-distance bus stations in southeast China. Opened in 2015, the imposing
station covers about 169,000 square feet and cost $39 million to construct.
The terminal building consists of a steel structure
enclosing waiting areas, ticketing counters, luggage rooms, and shopping
concourses. Its foundation involves 20-foot-deep concrete pilings embedded in
the earth. Overall, the completed building weighs around 30,000 tons - equal to
over 170 Boeing 737s!
In 2018, the Fujian provincial government approved a new
high-speed railway project necessitating space where the bus terminal stood.
Facing this dilemma, engineers proposed temporarily moving the entire massive
terminal building rather than demolishing it.
Shifting the foundation alone would have been impossible. So
engineers decided to rotate the finished building within its foundation
footprint to free up the needed land. This required swiveling the structure 90
degrees so its narrower side became the new frontage.
Rotating a building weighing 30,000 tons required every inch
to move 288 feet on a winding journey. The logistical complexities were
immense. But through ingenious design and testing, engineers brought their
audacious plan to reality.
The Innovative Engineering Behind the Feat
The core innovation enabling the bus terminal's rotation
involved installing 546 hydraulic jacks under the structure. Controlled in
coordinated sets, each jack could apply over 550 tons of synchronized lifting
force.
The jacks were anchored deep beneath the terminal foundation
into the bedrock. By perfectly calibrating the lifting force of each jack,
engineers could essentially lift the entire terminal slightly off the ground
and keep it suspended.
The other vital component was a temporary steel track
installed surrounding the foundation. The track's curved rails provided a
low-friction surface for the building to slowly glide on once lifted.
The jacks and rails allowed the terminal to be pushed
incrementally each day without toppling. Moving such a colossal building
required the utmost precision and planning.
Engineers used 3D modeling to simulate the terminal's center
of mass and test jack placements. Lasers and sensors tracked the structure's
micro-movements continuously, alerting if any tilting occurred.
Additionally, the jacks were divided into two sets
controlled by separate computer systems for redundancy. One set would lift
while the other reset, allowing smooth cyclic movement.
With the tracks and jacks in place, the powering of this
choreography fell to the hydraulic system. 140 pumps generated fluid pressure
for the jacks. Meanwhile, the system's 60 miles of pipes and hoses distributed
forces seamlessly.
The entire hydraulic configuration involved cutting-edge
German engineering, demonstrating the project's technical sophistication. When
active, the system applied an awe-inspiring 100,000 tons of lifting force on
the terminal - equal to 14 Eiffel Towers!
Meticulous Planning and Preparation
Executing such a monumental feat of engineering required
years of studies, tests, and planning. Construction teams performed extensive
soil surveys to determine optimal jack placements that would distribute the
terminal's weight without sinking or cracking the foundation.
Engineers then constructed an intricate 3D model of the
terminal and performed simulated rotations. This allowed fine-tuning jack
positions and lifting power while identifying any weak structural points
requiring reinforcement.
Next came months of trial runs. The crews practiced rotating
a dummy building partially constructed on-site. This allowed testing and
improving the hydraulic jack synchronization and control systems.
By the time the actual terminal rotation began, engineers
had perfected the specialized equipment and calculations enabling smooth
sliding. The trial runs also helped construction teams master working around
the titanic moving terminal quickly and safely.
When the day finally arrived in 2018, the engineering world
watched in awe as the four-year preparations culminated in the terminal's slow
but steady 90-degree journey.
Steady Movement Defying Gravity
The bus terminal rotation involved using the jacks to lift
the structure 4 feet off the foundation rails. The building was raised
incrementally over multiple days to avoid instability from sudden upward force.
Once optimally elevated, the jacks began pushing the
terminal forward according to digital commands. The opposing jack sets gently
slid the massive building ahead meter by meter.
Laser guidance systems and sensors tracked any minor sinking
or tilting automatically adjusting jacks to counteract it. This created a
mesmerizing motion likened to the terminal "crawling" forward.
The jack's tireless cycle continued day and night.
Incredibly, the system could relocate the terminal up to 20 meters per day - a
space equal to 5 school buses end to end. This slow and steady velocity
prevented structural buckling.
Nearby roads and a bus parking lot had to be temporarily
closed to provide space. Adjacent shopping malls also shut down as the looming
terminal crawled past.
Watching the gargantuan building seem to defy gravity and
glide smoothly without collapsing was both unsettling and marvelous for
observers. The sheer enormity of such controlled movement felt like magic.
Completion of an Unparalleled Feat
After 40 days of round-the-clock work, the terminal
completed its journey. The structure now stood rotated 90 degrees within its
original foundation.
The project set a New Guinness World Record for the heaviest building ever relocated. Moving the
30,000 ton structure proved over 600% more massive than the previous 5,000 ton
record holder!
Post-relocation, the terminal required several months of
inspection and restoration work costing $1.5 million. But no major structural
damage occurred. Soon bus operations resumed seamlessly in the relocated
terminal.
Meanwhile, the high-speed rail project proceeded rapidly
across the vacated land. Had the terminal been demolished, the debris removal
alone could have delayed construction by months.
In total, rotating the terminal to its new position rather
than rebuilding cost around $7.5 million. The relatively thrifty solution
showcased how Chinese engineers harness resourcefulness to tackle obstacles.
