So that summer boat trips on Göta Canal do not come to an abrupt end in Motala, Jernbro has helped Motala Municipality to renovate a bridge. It is the so called Old national highway bridge that has had its hydraulic cylinders renovated as a preventive measure. The reason is that the bridge must be able to be raised and lowered without problems for all boats that will pass during the summer.
− We were advised that Jernbro is both available locally and has the right skills for the job, so we asked them to look at the assignment and submit a tender. In our public procurement, the final choice got to be Jernbro, says Maintenance Engineer Mattias Lindkvist at Motala Municipality.
The project included eight hydraulic cylinders from the Old National Highway Bridge, which have two bridge flaps. The cylinders are large and heavy and the largest weigh approx. 1200 kg each.
− With the high weight of the cylinders, their location under the bridge and the fact that the only way in was a passage door, there were clearly some challenges in getting the cylinders out. But our industrial mechanic with good experience in heavy handling, welcomed the challenge. It was solved by making some special trolleys on which we rolled the cylinders, says Morgan Ferm, Maintenance Mechanic at Jernbro.
To complicate matters further, one lane had to be blocked off with a crane when the cylinders were to be lifted out. This involved careful safety planning and risk assessment, just like other aspects of the project.
− Once on site at the workshop, there was disassembly, inspection and gasket replacement. Since we have equipment to test run and test pressure in our hydraulic workshop, our hydraulics also did that to make sure the gaskets were tight, Morgan continues.
To reduce the risk of problems with a dirty hydraulic system and for the purity of the oil to meet the standard requirement, Jernbro took the opportunity to replace all hydraulic filters and clean the oil with filter units.
När alla hydraulcylindrar hade fraktats tillbaka till bron, lyfts ned och förflyttats in på specialvagnarna och monterats på igen, kunde systemet startas upp, fyllas på med olja och luftas.
− The collaboration with Jernbro has been great and pleasant all the way, as well as professionally performed. I especially appreciate that Jernbro’s employees are humble, honest and acted smoothly when, for example extra work needed to be done. We had a good dialogue throughout the project, so I am super satisfied and can warmly recommend Jernbro. The work also became flexible as they are located in the same county, says Mattias.
− It feels good that all mechanical that we’ve done works, especially since we haven’t done anything like it before. It’s a bit funny since our name is Jernbro (Ironbridge). But now, I can say that Jernbro works with bridges (among other things), which I previously have been asked, says Morgan.
