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News Release from: DavyMarkham
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 March 2005
Fabricator wins airport mast contract
AK Heavy Engineering has secured a £1.4 million contract for the joint manufacture of the eight main steel sections of a mast for Heathrow Traffic Control Tower.
AK Heavy Engineering, part of the Kvaerner Group, has secured a £1.4 million contract for the joint manufacture and supply of the eight main steel sections, which make up the central mast of Heathrow's Terminal 5 Air Traffic Control Tower Designed by award-winning architect Richard Rogers, the £50 million tower will provide a state-of-the-art platform for air traffic control and, at 87m (285ft) tall, a technically challenging and unique visual landmark for a modernised Heathrow
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 4 Nov 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Sheffield-based AK Heavy Engineering has been sub-contracted by structural steelwork specialists, Watson Steel Structures of Bolton, and is working closely with the company on the fabrication, assembly and machining of the mast sections, each around 12m long and weighing 80 tonnes, as well as the development of the manufacturing methodology for this ground-breaking structure.
Watson Steel is the client's specialist steelwork supplier for the project, working directly with the British Airports Authority, project managers Mace and consulting engineers Arup.
AK's scope of supply includes the fabrication of two purpose-made jigs, for use at its own Prince of Wales Road works and Watson's Lostock site, the machining of preformed 30mm thick steel plates, the assembly of ten 3m high 'can' sections, and the stress relieving of these and Watson-supplied units, before fabricating the eight main 12m sections, at all times working to extremely tight tolerances of +/-3mm.
Further reading
UK heavy engineering firm changes to legacy names
Following the 2005 management buyout of Kvaerner UK, from the Norwegian Kvaerner ASA group, AK Heavy Engineering has changed its name to DavyMarkham, with immediate effect.
Heavy mill stand pieces to be machined in UK
Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau and VAI UK has placed a GBP 2m contract with AK Heavy Engineering for machining and test assembling a 5m wide finishing mill stand, destined for China.
Heavy fabricator centralises plant to save costs
To streamline production, reduce energy consumption and trim costs, DavyMarkham has moved its separate, whole heavy fabrication shop next to its main plant in Sheffield, UK.
It is also undertaking the shotblasting and painting, the fabrication of 27 jacking and connecting flanges integrated into the mast sections, the manufacture of steel tripods to which the supporting cable stays are attached, and the supply of a 400mm thick, cast steel baseplate.
The new control tower forms part of BAA's £4.2 billion Terminal 5 project, one of Europe's biggest and most sophisticated design and construction schemes, and is more than twice the height of the existing tower, providing an elevated vantage point for Heathrow's air traffic controllers to manage operations.
It comprises a glazed, top-mounted control room with all-round visibility, supported on a 4.6m wide steel mast and by four pairs of steel cable stays anchored to the ground.
The central mast provides access to the control room, via two lifts and an enclosed staircase, and the base is encircled by a three-storey building, housing technical and administrative functions.
The tower will be located eventually on the western edge of the central terminal area, although to avoid disrupting existing control tower operations, the top section is being prefabricated on the airport boundary.
Once completed, the 862 tonne control tower complex will be transported overnight to its permanent location, then jacked up progressively to allow the mast sections, in 12m lengths, to be installed beneath.
During this phase, the structure will be stabilised by paid-out cables, tensioned precisely by computer-controlled winches.
Initially, AK Heavy Engineering provided machining services for the prototype section, known as the 'first run study', and two early 3m can sections, which had been fabricated by Watson Steel in a horizontal rotator.
Then to ensure meeting the exacting tolerances, Watson Steel developed a new method of fabrication, in conjunction with AK's engineering team, which is based around a purpose-designed vertical jig, with mandrel spiders to hold preformed steel plates in position during welding.
It has now contracted AK to build the two vertical jigs, fabricate ten of the remaining 3m can sections and finally assemble the eight main 12m mast sections, bringing together AK and Watson produced components.
Working mainly with free issue materials supplied by Watson Steel, AK Heavy Engineering will fabricate each 3m can in the purpose-built jig, machining the flat and curved steel outer plates, welding them together in a triangular profile, adding vertical stiffeners along the length, then stress relieving the complete section to stabilise the steel and maintain tolerances.
It is also fabricating and machining 80mm thick end flanges for each section, for drilling and bolting them together, and sturdy 135mm thick jacking flanges, fitted with lugs for use during transportation and the on-site jacking up phase.
AK has also reopened an existing 5m deep pit at its giant Sheffield works, which will be used for fabricating and assembling the main mast sections.
These are mainly 12m long, although one is 9m and another almost 14m, and will be fitted out internally with abseiling points, stair and handrail connections, and lift channels.
Indeed, Warings of Portsmouth, who have been appointed to fit out the control room, mast and base building, will be working on site at Sheffield, pre-installing the insulation material and staircase sections.
Prior to that fitting-out work, AK will carry out final machining of the main mast sections and dimensional checks, before each assembly is shotblasted and painted ready for erection.
It is also fabricating the two tripod sections to be mounted at the top of the mast, just below the apron of the control room, each of which incorporates two anchor points and rotating steel bobbins, to which the four main cable stays will be attached.
At the opposite end of the mast, AK will also supply a 30 tonne triangular baseplate, which will be cast in three parts, upon which the whole assembly sits, bedded in concrete.
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