The SLJ900 was the 580 ton Chinese bridge girder erection machine that almost broke the internet in 2015. Videos of the massive piece of equipment have been viewed millions of times and the process has mesmerized viewers from across the globe. Now, the video has even prompted someone to build a working model of the machine.
Radio-Controlled (RC) models of cars and construction equipment are popping up all over the place and many look and act just like the real thing. Earlier this year, we shared a video of a working RC version of a crawler crane that could actually lift up to 83 pounds. Last year, we highlighted a perfect 1:23.5 scale working model of a Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 mobile crane made out of Legos.
The RC model of the SLJ900 bridge girder machine is a 1:40 scale model of the real deal, which measures 300 feet long and 24 feet wide. If those measurements are correct, the scale model should be 7.5 feet long and just over 7 inches wide. If you work on model trains, you’re probably going to need this beast to build some bridges in the future. Better get to work making your own.
A construction crane that was working on a highway widening project in St. Martin Parish in Louisiana collapsed onto the adjacent roadway last week, injuring one driver.
Demolition by implosion videos are always fun to watch. Adding an element of water makes them even more dramatic, though it’s probably not great for the ecosystem. Late last week, a one mile long, 23 year-old bridge in China was imploded in front of a crowd of spectators and caught on camera.
Cranes are an extremely useful and important piece of equipment on the majority of construction sites. They can also be extremely dangerous if they are not understood or respected.
As the US is experiencing our own natural disaster, by way of Hurricane Florence, China is being hit badly by a Typhoon Mangkhut. According to Independent, the storm has caused a crane, which was being used on a 22-story housing development, to crumble. That collapse was caught on camera by neighbors.
There have been a few devastating structural collapses across America and the world this year. In March, an under construction pedestrian bridge collapsed in Florida, killing 6. In Colombia, ten workers were killed when a large section of a bridge being built collapsed. Both of those tragedies happened while the structures were still being built, but a recent collapse in Texas has a bit of a different story.
If you’re a general contractor in the Davie, Florida area, I have an idea why one of your deliveries might have been late last week.
On Monday morning, a 13 story building in Miami Beach that was being prepped for demolition suddenly collapsed, injuring one Project Manager that was struck by debris.
In January of 2018, ten construction workers were killed and another eight were injured when a bridge spanning the Chirajara canyon in Columbia partially collapsed. That collapse has since been blamed on a poor design, reports have stated. Last week, the remaining sections of the bridge were demolished in dramatic fashion.