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Mechanized Fleet Does Qood Work in

22nd June 1940, Page 24
22nd June 1940
Page 24
Page 25
Page 24, 22nd June 1940 — Mechanized Fleet Does Qood Work in
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BUILDING A 60-MILE

VATER-SUPPLY PIPE-LINE

The Part Played by Specially Equipped Track-laying Tractors and a Fleet of Lorries in Connection with the Installation of a Lengthy Water-supply System for

Rio de Janeiro

pUBLIC works contractors throughout the world often tackle massive jobs that require a considerable amount of highway construction before it is possible to arrive at the real duties of the project. Few such operators, however, have to encounter greater problems than those that have been the lot of Dahne. Conceicao and Cia (Adutora Ribeirao da.s Lagos) during the past 18 months or so.

As long ago as that the City and Federal District authorities of Rio de Janeiro decided that more plentiful quantities of water were necessary to supply the needs of the 2,000,000 persons living under their care. Water of the necessary abundance and purity lay in the ranges some 60 miles away, but the intervening country comprised hills, valleys and mountains of moderate size, whilst it was covered with vegetation of all sorts, from that to be found in market gardens to semi-tropical forests.

When the contract of Mime. Conceicao and Cis. (Adutora Ribeirao das Lagos) was accepted, this company sought the advice of International Harvester transport and industrial power engineers regarding the equipment that would be economical in the long run and, at the same time, enable the workers to complete their task with the minimum of delay.

Civil engineers had specified a 6-ft. 6-in, aqueduct over these 60 miles. and it was to he made up of 13,000 iron and concrete pipes, each 16 ft. long. As each pipe weighed something in the neighbourhood of IO tons its transport over that rough country and its positioning on the site presented many problems.

Since that time the contractors' activities have proceeded, day after day, without interruption, and now that the job is complete, residents in Rio de Janeiro are about to draw on the new supplies which come to them via this 60-mile pipe-line.

To return to the practical side of the work, the fleet chosen for this contract consisted of 18 big International lorries and nine International oil-engined TracTracTors, the latter being tracklaying units that have many uses. The road fleet also included some modest service lorries, but was predominantly made up of the 18 powerful models already mentioned, and they were equipped semi-trailers to handle the Pipes.

First on the scene mere the tractors which were equipped for ripping through forests, tearing out trees, building roads, excavating and banking tO overcome steep gradients. Thus, they made the right-of-way over lands where, previously, roads had been nonexistent. Following closely were the International power shovels, which dug the trench to take the pipe-line and, as the road was prepared and the trench excavated, the pipes themselves were dropped into place by heavy-duty International tractors. During the period when the preliminary work was being done on the job, those responsible for the actual transport of the pipes worked out the most suitable routes and drew up systems for loading and unloading. Specially designed A-frame hoists were provided for lifting the pipes from the trailers and placing them beside the trench. It was then necessary to tackle the tricky job of lowering the pipes into position and various plans were tried before success was attained.

The system devised was to loop cables around the pipes and to connect them to winches operated by the tractors, so that they were completely under control while they were being rolled to the side of the trench and lowered into position. The costs of the winch equipment were more than cancelled out by the elimination of damage to the pipes and the reduction in the time of handling. A-frame hoists, mounted on tracks, were then used for the final positioning of the pipes, which, later, were sealed, the final operation being that of refilling the trench. Tractors tackled the work of refilling and carefully levelled off the ground, so as to prevent trouble through erosion in the rainy season.

Following the successful completion of this work, Dahne, Conceicao and Cia (Aclutora Ribeirao das Lagos) has secured a new contract which will utilise the present International fleet as wsll as necessitate placing orders for further units.

Tags

Locations: Lagos, Rio de Janeiro

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