Sultan Yavuz Selim, the hybrid bridge

Construction of Turkey’s Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge not only created a third crossing linking Europe and Asia across the mighty Bosphorus Straits, it also marked a major step forward in stay cable technology. The new bridge carries the North Marmara Motorway over the strategic waterway, enabling traffic to bypass the city of Istanbul, boosting highway capacity and relieving congestion on the existing crossings. NAME OF THE OWNER KGM (General Directorate of Highways) NAME OF THE CLIENT HDSK (Hyundai Engineering & Construction/SK Engineering & Construction JV) DELIVERY DATE OF THE PROJECT July 2016 PARTNERS OF THE PROJECT Concessionnaire: ICA (Ictas/Astaldi JV) General contractor: HDSK Engineer: T-Engineering & Bureau Greisch SULTAN YAVUZ SELIM BRIDGE A hybrid arrangement A traditional suspension bridge form with a shallow deck was chosen for its aesthetics, and to complement the existing Bosphorus bridges. But the need to stiffen the bridge by the addition of a series of super-long, high-strength cables resulted in the creation of a rare, hybrid stay cable technology arrangement. One of the biggest challenges of the project was to design and build a bridge of this size and complexity in just 36 months. With its main span of 1,408 m, 59 m-wide deck and towers rising more than 320 m above the water, its scale and form were unprecedented. Added to this was the need to develop and test new equipment capable of erecting, anchoring and restraining the movement of the longest and heaviest parallel strand cables Freyssinet had ever manufactured. 36 Months 1,408 Length of main span (m) 322 Height of towers 59 Width of bridge deck A heavy load The highway and rail loads that were predicted meant ultra high-strength strand was needed, leading to the first use of Freyssinet’s 1,960 MPa cable strand – and setting another global record. A total of 176 stay cables was installed, the longest of which measure more than half a kilometre and contain an incredible 151 strands, weighing in at almost 120 t. The capacity needed to test these cables exceeded that of the world’s biggest testing rigs; even the smallest stays on this project are large when set against those of standard cable-stayed bridges. To manufacture the 9,000 t of high-strength strand needed to produce these cables in such a short time demanded faultless quality control across our supply chain. Flexible working This short project time-frame led to additional challenges, with detailed design of certain elements having to be adapted to suit those that had already gone into production. What’s more, the unconventional combination of cable systems led to heavily-loaded stays that were prone to sagging and at higher risk of excitation. Specially-designed deviators were developed to control the alignment of the cables at the anchorages. These elements had to be tested to provide assurance not only that they would be effective, but that restraint of the cables would not damage the sheathing intended to protect them. Finding the optimum solution for durability was just as important as influencing the structural behaviour. Stay cable technology control The potential scale of excitation under wind loads demanded damping of the free length of the cables while allowing them to move freely under service loads. Factors such as the size of the predicted movement, the scale of the cable stays and the restricted space available led to the design of 7.4 m-high masts supporting hydraulic pistons with a stroke of ±920 mm. On site, Freyssinet’s standard procedure for erecting and stressing the strand had to be adjusted to take account of the presence of the main cable directly overhead and the need to work in parallel with many other contractors to meet the programme completion date. Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge BB3_2016.03 @Freysas Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge - 2015.03 @Aykut ECEVIT Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge BB3 - View from the top Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge BB3_2015 05 Deck construction @Francis Vigouroux Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge BB3_05_2015_Under-construction@Francis Vigouroux Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge BB3_2016.01 Prestressing @francis Vigouroux Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge BB3_2016.03-Team@Freysas Yavuz Sultan Selim BB3_2016.09_Lightning-Copyright Freyssinet Freysas ‹ › You have a project? Our local experts will help you achieve your project thanks to our large range of solutions. FIND YOUR LOCAL CONTACT R&D and Innovation Our innovation strategy reflects our ambition: to provide solutions that meet our customers’ needs, and which are also more sustainable and environmentally friendly. DISCOVER OUR R&D VISION Discover other references BUILD VIETNAM Bai Chay cable-stayed bridge Concern over the magnitude of wind loading and potential for vibration that was predicted on the Bai Chay cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam led to the introduction of new, compact stay cables. BUILD TURKEY Çayırköy viaduct incremental launching While incremental launching was the most appropriate method to construct the viaduct, it required complete rethinking to adapt to the project’s unusual configuration. BUILD VIETNAM Cua Dai extradosed bridge using Cohestrand technology Locally-cohesive Cohestrand technology was successfully produced and installed for the first time on an extradosed highway bridge which crosses the Tra Khuc River to create a coastal bypass of Quang Ngai city. BUILD SOUTH KOREA Geoga cable-stayed bridge Located in an exposed offshore area subject to high-speed winds and to potential typhoons, the cable-stayed bridge had to be equipped with the most robust cable anti-vibration system and durable stay cables. BUILD RUSSIA Russky Island cable-stayed bridge Russky Island cable-stayed bridge pushed the limit for cable-stayed structures, its main span setting a new world record and demanding extra-long cables designed for the region’s harsh climate. Learn more about our solutions BUILD Bridges BUILD Cable systems BUILD Post-tensioning systems BUILD Seismic protection Contact us You have a question about our solutions or you already have a project in mind? Please fill out the form below and our teams will get back to you shortly. 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