Three Gorges Project to Enter a New Construction PeriodNews releases told that the Three Gorges Project will start on a new construction phase from large-scale concrete pouring to extensive metal structure installing this year.Among the various metal structures to be put in place are included a large motley of 282 sluice gates, 135 sets of headstock gears, etc. Most outstanding is the laying of a huge pressure steel pipe weighing over 260,000 tons as one unknown to world's hydropower construction along with the installing of machines for ship lifting to provide good passage for 3,000t passenger-cargo vessels. There is also the first tiered gate of fast ship lock and for its large size, 39.5 meters high, 20.2 meters wide, and heavy weight of 900 tons, it is known to be the world biggest. Of the 135 sets of headstock gears, 114 are of the large capacity hydraulic pressure type: Inestimable difficulties will be involved when installed, not to say manufacture as a hard nut to crack. The power station of the Three Gorges will be on the way to have 26 water diversion steel pipes laid and with each pipe 122 meters long and 12.4 meters in inner diameter, it will be the world largest when completed. As things now stand on the Three Gorges with the start of the New Year. Instead of large-scale earth-stone work or concrete pouring as seen in the past eight years, intensive preparations are being made to make way for extensive metal structure work to be carried out on the whole construction site of the Three Gorges Project. By PD Online staff member Li Yan |
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