Fifth lock chamber Brunsbüttel

Due to the old age of the existing locks, another (fifth) lock chamber was planned for Brunsbüttel. The services rendered by IRS together with their subcontractor DriveCon comprised the planning and calculation of the gates and the related components for the new construction of the 5th lock chamber.

The gates in the lock heads are designed as sliding gates. For balancing the water levels, the lock gates are fitted with flaps. According to the "wheelbarrow principle", the sliding gates are supported by an undercarriage and an upper carriage.  A rail system of block rails is provided for both carriages.
The gates are opened in traction mode by means of a compression-rigid chain drive with pinion and closed in propulsion operation.
The sliding gates themselves are floatable. For transport on the open sea and in order to reduce the floating depth of the gates, special lifting pontoons have also been planned and calculated.

The calculation was made by means of 3D-FE models (FE programs ANSYS and RFEM), the design was prepared on a 3D model by means of Inventor, partially by means of AutoCAD. In the course of the planning, floating stability calculations as well as numerical flow simulations were also required.

Technical data:
Lock:
- Length x Width: 360.0 m x 45.0 m
Gate:
- Length x Width x Height: 47.5 m x 9.0 m x 21.0 m
- Weight: 2,250 t
Pontoons:
- Length x Width x Height: 33.0 m x 6.25 m x 6.75 m
- Weight: 300 t