Outside the Box: Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge
Eltink's Scheeps en Jachtwerf B.V., The Netherlands

Engineering:
Eltink's Scheeps en Jachtwerf B.V., The Netherlands

Project:
Holland's longest bicycle and pedestrian bridge for the City of Amsterdam.

Holland's Longest Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge, Amsterdam
Courtesy Eltink's Scheeps en Jachtwerf B.V., The Netherlands

The engineering department of Eltink’s Shipyard used ShipConstructor on a project that is unlike their usual projects: Eltink supplied the NC kit for a unique, 220 metre long suspension bridge for the City of Amsterdam. This bridge, which is only five metres wide, is split on both ends so that pedestrians and bicycles have a separate access point. It is the longest suspension bridge and the only bridge supported by just one cable in The Netherlands.  

The entire bridge was modeled and faired using Rhino. The required construction sections were generated on this model and transferred to ShipConstructor. All structural parts were defined exactly to size using the Structure module, automatically building the 3D structural model. The project database kept track of all parts and their properties. Because the bridge was symmetrical, Eltink was able to use the port and starboard functionality, significantly reducing the amount of work required.  

All shell plating was curved and therefore expanded using ShipConstructor’s Hull module. Extensive use of marking and reference lines ensured the sections were built to the correct dimensions and shape. The room for deviations, especially in the 160 metre long middle section, was very small to ensure proper fit and alignment with the end sections on both riverbanks.  

With ShipConstructor’s automatically generated assembly drawings, Eltink could create easy to understand production documentation. The assembly drawings enabled Eltink to keep track of the weights of the various sections and subsections critical to monitoring maximum capacity for the overhead crane.
“We have to conclude that with a little imagination, this shipbuilding software [ShipConstructor] can be efficiently used for a variety of engineering projects”, says Roel Carboex, Manager, Engineering Department at Eltink.  

With this project, Eltink has proven that it pays to think outside the box and, even as a shipyard, to take on engineering projects from outside of the shipbuilding environment. This approach could enable smaller shipyards to maintain their productivity between shipbuilding projects or during times when the shipbuilding industry is not flourishing.

Eltink's Sheeps en Jachtwerf B.V. is supported by Design Systems & Technologies, ARL’s ShipConstructor representative in Europe.

For more information about Eltink's Scheeps en Jachtwerf B.V., please visit http://www.eltinkshipyard.nl/.

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