A 10-Story Building in Height, China’s New Hydraulic Cylinder Will Be Used for Marine Engineering Foundations.
China has produced a massive hydraulic cylinder for large pile-driving ships involved in marine infrastructure projects, with a maximum thrust of 5,000 tons, sufficient to lift 1,000 adult African elephants simultaneously. This independently developed hydraulic cylinder is the largest and most powerful in the world, rolling off the production line in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, on October 22, according to Interesting Engineering.
Hydraulic cylinder rolling off the production line on October 22. (Photo: CCTV).
The development of this hydraulic cylinder, intended for building foundations for marine engineering projects, signifies that China has mastered the core technology for producing ultra-large and ultra-long cylinders. As the world’s second-largest economy, China is pursuing a strategy to strengthen its maritime power, focusing on the production of high-end equipment and promoting technological development. Large pile-driving ships play a crucial role in constructing infrastructure to cross rivers or seas and installing offshore wind power facilities.
Measuring 28 meters in length and nearly 2 meters in diameter, this hydraulic cylinder stands as tall as a 10-story building. Developed by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the device is designed to power a 150-meter-long pile-driving ship currently under production.
Previously, Chinese companies lagged behind many leading global firms in the design and manufacture of large hydraulic cylinders. They were entirely dependent on imported key components such as seals and erosion-resistant materials.
The pile-driving ship equipped with the new cylinder will be used later this year in the construction of the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea High-Speed Rail Bridge, which is set to become the longest cross-sea high-speed rail bridge in the world upon completion. Future applications of this technology include large offshore drilling platforms and the construction of wind power facilities. This is the result of collaboration among several companies in the fields of new materials and intelligent manufacturing.
In July, a maritime engineering alliance was established in Beijing. Their primary focus is on the construction and operation of maritime transportation infrastructure, building wind and solar power facilities, protecting and restoring coastal areas, constructing reefs on islands, preserving ecosystems, and installing deep-sea pipelines.
