A silo finds its lid.

B19 Aalen exit towards Unterkochen – on the right of the road is TBA – a concrete supplier that was able to complete a major repair project in March of this year.

At TBA, investments were made in a new concrete mixing silo and the construction company Thorwesten was commissioned with the new construction. The entire silo was lifted and assembled in round individual parts. We were on site for the final lifting process, the placing of the silo roof, for the photo shoot.

The weather always plays a decisive role in outdoor lifting operations. Especially in the case of a silo roof here, with a large wind-attack area and a wind-prone one-sided open construction, you have to pay attention to the weather forecast and always keep an eye on the weather. According to the weather forecast, light wind, rain and cold were predicted on the day of the lifting operation. The wind force was within the green range, and the rain and cold, as we found them on that day, were no obstacle for the lift. So, the lifting operation could take place as planned in freezing 2 degrees and unrelenting sleet. Not the most pleasant conditions for us on site and not ideal for taking photos, but nevertheless we could not allow this process to escape us.

The round silo roof stood on the ground, where it was assembled from individual parts. The considerable diameter of 10 metres, the height of 3 metres and the weight of 16 tonnes make the silo roof an extraordinarily large load. The silo roof was then to be lifted by a crane with double hooks at four attachment points. So, we decided to carry out the lifting operation with two ICE-2-strand hoists. In order to keep the rope forces within the permitted range, low angles of inclination must be guaranteed by a minimum chain length. According to the calculation, the minimum chain length under these factors was 6.402 metres.

Based on this data, we decided to use a suitable 13 mm ICE-2-strand hoist with a chain length of 7 metres that we had in stock. However, another 13 mm ICE-2-strand hoist with a chain length of 4 metres was too short. But thanks to our flexible RUD ICE chain modular system, we were able to extend the two strands that were too short with RUD H-Connectors and RUD ICE chain pieces. With a standard pin punch and a hammer, we simply extended the chain strands that were too short to the required length of 7 metres. In no time at all, we attached ICE Star hooks to the ends of the chain and immediately began the lifting process. A few minutes later, the roof hovered high above our heads, was lifted to its final position at a good 35 metres above the ground and assembled.

We would like to thank TBA Transportbeton GmbH & Co. KG in Aalen and construction company SILOBAU THORWESTEN GmbH for the opportunity to accompany this lifting operation. Our chains would have looked better in the photos if the sun had shone and the sky was blue, but unfortunately neither you nor we have any influence on the weather. But even so, the dimensions of the silo roof at dizzy heights are impressive.