On May 26, the Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge, the world's largest-span suspension bridge under construction, marked a key milestone. Hoisted by the Zoomlion W12000-450 super-large tower crane, the mid-crossbeam of the main tower of the bridge's south navigation channel span, weighing approximately 1,000 tonnes in total, achieved millimeter-level precision closure at a height of 220 meters, fastening a "golden belt" around the main tower and marking the bridge's full entry into the upper tower column construction phase.

△ Zoomlion W12000-450 tower crane assisting construction of the Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge

It is understood that the main tower of the south navigation channel span of the Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge is the only main tower situated in the river, and once completed it will become the world's tallest suspension bridge tower. As the supporting structure between the tower columns, the crossbeam's installation accuracy directly affects the tilt and stability of the tower columns as they rise, and the construction of the mid-crossbeam is a critical part of the bridge tower project. The mid-crossbeam installed this time is 34.4 meters long and 19.2 meters high at its root, consists of 4 segments and weighs approximately 1,000 tonnes in total, with large segment weights, high hoisting difficulty and stringent welding accuracy requirements.

As the world's first 10,000-plus tonne-meter-class tower crane and core equipment for the construction of extra-long and extra-high bridges, the Zoomlion W12000-450 needed to complete the "cloud-level jigsaw puzzle" of all mid-crossbeam segments at a height of 220 meters, with joint gaps of only 10 millimeters between the tower columns and the crossbeam and between crossbeam blocks, imposing extremely strict requirements on installation levelness and precision. Since the hoisting of the first segment on May 8, the W12000-450 has fully demonstrated its advantages of strong hoisting capacity, smooth operation, precise positioning and safety and reliability, earning high recognition from the project owner. At 8:58 a.m. on the 26th, as the W12000-450 tower crane slowly slewed and lifted, the closure segment—9.9 meters wide, 15 meters high and 255 tonnes in weight—was lowered and precisely placed between the two segments, marking the successful completion of the mid-tower-column construction and laying a solid foundation for achieving the goal of capping the main tower at 350 meters this year.

△ The Zoomlion W12000-450 tower crane during hoisting

Currently, a total of 3 Zoomlion super-large tower crane products are in operation on the Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge project, including the W12000-450 and two R8000-320 units, safeguarding the construction of this world-class bridge. Zoomlion leads industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation, driving the development of the full series of super-large tower crane products in China's tower crane industry and continuously providing core equipment support for major national engineering projects.