Loose ballast or heavy concrete for bridge constructions

High density concrete with MagnaDense

LKAB Minerals has supplied high density MagnaDense for different bridge constructions around Europe. Each of these projects unique in their design and the circumstances for placement but all in need of a bridge ballast.

Benefits for using MagnaDense in bridges

Every bridge design will require different materials and techniques. However, when a design asks for a lot of weight but has limited dimension to fulfil this with ordinary materials, MagnaDense might offer the solution because it:

• Provides more weight with less volume
• Is available world-wide
• enables you to make a concrete counterweight
• Does not react with water

Heavy concrete for balanced bridges

Many bridge designs require a high density counterweight to move up and down or even sideways. One example is the cable-stayed Samuel Beckett bridge in Dublin. This bridge has a special design with heavy concrete in both pivot and bridge deck to maintain the right balance. For boats to pass, the bridge swivels open balancing on a pivot which is not situated in the middle. Therefore, the bridge needs extra weight on the short end of the construction to keep the balance perfect. In this case, the best solution for extra weight in the complete design is MagnaDense heavy concrete counterweight; providing more weight and requiring less volume than ordinary concrete.

A detailed and interesting case study about the use of high density concrete for the construction of the Samuel Beckett Bridge is available upon request via our sales team.

Loose aggregate ballast for bridges

Depending on the bridge design, you can also use MagnaDense as loose heavy aggregate for:

1. Foundations for anchored bridges
2. Caissons

With a density of up to 5.1 t/m3, MagnaDense often provides the right weight and volume when limited space is available.

Bridge projects worldwide

LKAB Minerals supplied the two largest Danish bridge projects ever done with heavy loose ballast material to support the bridge’s stability. However, the use of the heavy aggregate for these two projects was different for each bridge.

1. For the Great Belt bridge, the foundations anchoring the bridges need a lot of weight to remain stable.
2. Our customer filled the caissons supporting the bridge deck during the construction of the Öresund bridge with LKAB Minerals’ heavy natural minerals.

A detailed case study of both of the above projects is available upon request via our sales experts. However, you can also read our online article about these projects today.

For your convenience we have more stories on bridge ballasting projects we have done:

• Kogerpolderbridge in The Netherlands  – redesign including heavy ballast
• Wirral Dock Bridge in the UK – counterweight for a bascule bridge
• Ballasting the new bridges at the Kallo sluice in Belgium

Consistent product supply and quality

Being part of the LKAB group with owned mines in Northern Sweden, we can promise you a secure supply of standardised heavy aggregate products.
Wherever the bridge location, we can supply MagnaDense for heavy concrete or as loose ballast with direct shipments, by rail or truck from our ports or strategic stock locations. LKAB Minerals has sales locations worldwide. On top of that, an expert sales manager is only a phone call or an email away to help you select the right mix of heavy aggregates for your next bridge project.