STG demonstrated the laboratory of Frunzensky Bridge

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GTRK Samara | TV Channel Samara-GIS

On the previous day, the construction site of Frunzensky Bridge witnessed a special event held for the leading mass media of Samara. Journalists were provided with a unique opportunity to visit two construction laboratories and see how various tests, which are required to control quality of construction materials used for the construction of the bridge, are run.

“It was very interesting to visit the laboratory. We learnt so many new and useful things! Frunzensky Bridge is a really unique facility that is being built of high-strength construction materials, the quality of which is checked on a regular basis. Furthermore, this is the first construction laboratory on the premises of a civil facility, which I visited. There are no other such laboratories in Samara!” Olga Novikova, the journalist of the newspaper Volzhskaya Komunna, says.

The project of construction of Frunzensky Bridge, where the general contractor is Stroytransgaz JSC, envisages laying 57 thousand cubic meters of concrete, 20 thousand tons of metal structures, and over a million cubic meters of sand. By now, over 200 thousand cubic meters of local sand has been delivered to the construction site. For that purpose, heavy-duty trucks made more than 30 thousand trips. In addition, over 10 thousand cubic meters of concrete and 6 thousand tons of metal structures have been already used for construction.

All construction materials undergo quality tests for compliance with national standards not only at factories, but also in the laboratories located on Frunzensky Bridge.

“Our laboratory is completed with the modern equipment approved by a regulatory certification authority and is accredited by MOSSTROYSERTIFIKATSIYA JSC. Only highly professional and experienced specialists work there,” Elena Bushneva, PhD in Technical Sciences, Deputy CEO of the quality subcontractor entity, notes.

The laboratory is open 24 hours a day, which enables testing check samples at any time and quickly give recommendations on further construction and installation works.

The main laboratory that is located on the right bank of the Samara River is intended for testing check samples of concrete. For instance, a special press is used to measure the compression breaking strength. It is this strength that defines the durability and reliability of the bridge as well as its resistance against various negative environmental impacts. Additionally, the laboratory may test concrete for frost resistance and impermeability.

Journalists also visited the ground laboratory testing sandy ground samples. The lab assistant used a standard compaction measuring device to demonstrate how the maximal density and the optimal soil moisture content can be measured as they are the two basic parameters influencing the quality of the motorway roadbed.