PASCHAL LOGO.3 formwork proves its worth on the BW13 bridge structure in Potsdam

The sophisticated BW13 bridge structure was implemented quickly and precisely thanks to well thought-out formwork planning, large-format LOGO.3 panels and the PASCHAL Maturix intelligent concrete monitoring system.

LOGO.3 formwork from the manufacturer PASCHAL was used for the two abutments.

As part of an infrastructure project, the State of Brandenburg, under the auspices of the state road authority, Landesbetrieb Straßenwesen, and its regional division, Regionalbetrieb West, built a new bridge structure (BW13) in Potsdam over Horstweg public road, on the section of the bridge carrying traffic in the direction of Teltow. LOGO.3 formwork panels manufactured by PASCHAL were used for the two abutments, with 350 m² of initial and closing formwork for the component in axis 10, and another 200 m² of initial formwork for the opposite abutment in axis 20.

PASCHAL's 240 x 270 cm large-size panels are ideal for projects of this kind, and create a neat and orderly formwork appearance. The bearing blocks only had to be raised once to achieve a total formwork height of 5.40 metres. As the abutment walls with different dimensions were even higher, a third layer, made up of PASCHAL's standard panels with a height of 135 cm, was mainly used here, which meant that, in the tallest sections, the formwork height reached an impressive 6.75 metres! However, also for the acute-angled corners or the odd connection of an abutment wall to an existing building, careful selection of the LOGO.3 formwork panels ensured appropriate panel widths, including variable hinged corner posts, so that the formwork could be used even for the system's more complicated geometries without requiring any cost-intensive on-site levelling.

The large-size LOGO.3 formwork panels speak for themselves with their neat and orderly joint and anchor arrangement, high stability and flexible combination options – also ideal for complex geometries and large formwork heights such as those used in the BW13 bridge structure in Potsdam.

Due to the large wall thicknesses ranging from 80 cm to almost 2.00 m, the external formwork was much longer in the corners between the bearing block and the abutment walls than on the inside, making it challenging to position the formwork anchors required to absorb the compressive forces exerted by fresh concrete. Therefore, the wider external formwork was treated as single-sided formwork, which was supported with 4.00 m-high support jacks – also from the PASCHAL range.

S. Kayatz, foreman of the contractor, U&W NL Magdeburg, was very satisfied throughout the planning and construction phase: "PASCHAL doesn't just deliver its products to us on time. Already in the run-up to a construction project, we sit down together and discuss various options in order to find the best formwork solution. And the service from PASCHAL is then seamlessly transferred to construction site support. This optimises formwork construction times and the use of materials while minimising labour costs."

In addition to the formwork, U&W also used another PASCHAL product from the concrete monitoring range. With the PASCHAL Maturix measuring system, the user can calculate and display the actual concrete strength by means of temperature measurements in the component in order to determine the earliest possible switch-off date, for example. In this project, controlling the heat of hydration was important, given the large mass of concrete used.

PASCHAL consultant, Ralf Rösel, has been working with U&W for many years and sees this project as one of several undertaken by the PASCHAL Group to further strengthen activities in infrastructure: "Germany faces an urgent need for investment in infrastructure. At PASCHAL, we are well-placed, with our product range, to meet this challenge, and can support our customers not only with formwork, but also with the necessary service."