Innovative Slip Form Method for the Construction of Tapered Concrete Pylon of Long-Span Cable Bridge

The construction of the three-dimensional shaped pylons higher than 400 m requires very high technological degree. It is known that the application of the tapered slip form method for the erection of the concrete pylon of long-span cable bridges offers the advantage of being significantly faster than when applying the auto-climbing system (ACS) form method. Therefore, this study presents the development of an innovative slip form system for pylons with tapered cross-section suing lightweight GFRP panels. Surface wave inspection system is applied on the slip form system for the determination of slip-up time, wireless hydraulic control system is applied for auto rising, and GPS system is used to manage the configuration of pylon. A full-scale test bed was conducted to validate and verify the developed innovative slip form. The full-scale tapered concrete pylon has a hollow shaft and a height of 10 m. The sectional dimension is 4 m × 4 m at the foot and 3.77 m ×

3.6 m at the top. The experimental construction of the tapered pylon using the innovative slip form was conducted successfully. This system is the world’s first application of GFRP slip form panel.