The prestressed standardized prefabricated pavement panel for the Antarctic apron independently developed by China Construction Technology Group Co., Ltd. fully demonstrates the style of my country's leader in the industrialization of new construction. The following are excerpts from the report.
What are the challenges for China's infrastructure madman to build a "new home" in Antarctica?
On the remote Antarctic Ross Sea Fort Island, at this moment, the builders of the new station in the Ross Sea are busy "building new houses." Ross Sea New Station, my country's fifth scientific research station in Antarctica, completed the topping out of the main structure of the main building just a week ago. What does the new website look like? How is building a "new home" in Antarctica different from ordinary engineering construction? What kind of place is the Ross Sea? What method did the builders use to build the scientific research station in a short time?
The Ross Sea has the largest ice shelf in Antarctica. It is the most active area of interaction between the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic ice sheet and is also the area with the most critical impact on global climate. It also has the largest ice-free area in Antarctica, the McMurdo Dry Valleys, which is of great significance for the study of the lithosphere. Various countries in the world, including the United States, Italy, Germany, South Korea, etc., have built scientific research stations here. It is also a place where Antarctic powers gather. After our country establishes a scientific research station here, scientific research activities can be radiated to a surrounding area of 300 to 500 kilometers through helicopters, snowmobiles, and other means of transportation, which will greatly enhance our country's scientific research capabilities and levels in West Antarctica.
What are the challenges in building a helipad on Enxburg Island?
Whether transporting cargo or people in Antarctica, helicopters are indispensable. Therefore, the apron is also a necessary infrastructure for every scientific research station. my country's Ross Sea New Station will also build an apron covering an area of 1,020 square meters. The more than 400 special building materials used to pave the apron were all developed and manufactured in my country.
What challenges are faced in the construction of an apron?
The intelligent production line produces prestressed standardized prefabricated pavement panels. This prefabricated pavement panel is manufactured according to specific requirements. The components have better overall stiffness, crack resistance, and overall durability, and can adapt to the harsh climate conditions of Antarctica.
In the Antarctic environment with low oxygen content, low temperature, and high wind speed, if the traditional construction model is adopted, the construction period and product quality cannot be guaranteed. But we start from the source, using high-strength concrete that can be repeatedly frozen and thawed more than 200 times, and apply pre-tensioned prestressed technology to the manufacturing of pavement panels, while maximizing the overall stiffness, crack resistance, and overall durability of the components. , thinning the thickness of the pavement panel, saving the amount of concrete and steel bars, and reducing the weight of the pavement panel.
It is difficult to "build" in Antarctica, and there are many "stumbling blocks" that need to be faced, among which the harsh natural environment and complex geological conditions are the key to avoidance. Compared with the traditional construction model, the prefabricated apron has the characteristics of fast construction, fewer turnover materials, and a high degree of mechanization, which can better adapt to the construction requirements of the Ross Sea new station. In just 20 days, we turned the prestressed standardized prefabricated pavement panel from a drawing into a reality.
After more than two months of traveling across the ocean, these more than 400 road panels have been successfully shipped to Antarctica through container assembly. After the apron is assembled, ships entering the Antarctic continent can bring relevant supplies and scientific research equipment to the island, and depart from the apron to various scientific research sites.
