Falkirk Wheel

The Falkirk Wheel, the only spinning boat lift (boat elevator) in the world, is a magnificent feat of engineering. The Falkirk Wheel, which is situated close to the town of Falkirk in Central Scotland, has unquestionably been one of the most significant items in the area since it opened in 2002.

The Falkirk Wheel creates a corridor of regeneration activity through central Scotland by joining the Union and Forth & Clyde Canals. Scotland’s two biggest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, may be reached by boat thanks to The Wheel. These two canals were formerly connected by a system of eleven canal locks, but they were demolished in 1933 due to decay. This was a significant link that the Falkirk Wheel recreated, but perhaps much more effectively.

Although the idea behind a wheel dates back to the 19th century, it wasn’t until 1994 that it became a viable solution for Falkirk. A Ferris wheel-style design, submitted by Dundee Architects and Nicoll Russell Studios, served as the foundation for the Millennium Link project.

The fact that the Clyde Canal was 35 meters (115 feet) below the Union Canal’s level presented a significant challenge at the outset of construction. The original and only revolving boat lift in the world, the Falkirk Wheel as it is known today, was the brainchild of the British Waterways (Scottish Canals).

Wheel Operation

Every boat heads into the Union Canal through the Roughcastle tunnel. A similar weight is raised in the other trolley as the higher trolley is lowered with the water they float into the basin below.

Every trolley is propelled by tiny wheels that slide into a single, curved rail that is fastened to the inside of each arm’s aperture. This ought to be enough, theoretically, to guarantee that they stay horizontal at all times, but any friction or unexpected movement might make the trolley stick or tilt.

A backup system of interconnected gears makes sure that this never occurs and that the boats and water are always precisely level during the whole cycle.

One end of each trolley is linked to one of the two 8 m-diameter cogs at either end. Every year, the wheel is shut down for around three weeks to perform necessary maintenance on important parts including pumps and valves. Engineers may completely inspect the wheel, check the construction, and make any required modifications during closure.

Because of the structure’s distinctiveness, creative and unusual design techniques were needed. In addition to Norwegian, German, and American rules for things like thin-walled cylinder behavior, barge impact, and restricted ice loading, the UK design codes for bridges, buildings, and floating boats were also used. Finite element methods, such as non-linear solid continuum modeling for connections that are sensitive to movement, were used to analyze the Wheel. Up to 40 complete directional reversals of the wheel’s rotation occur per day. This ongoing deterioration became a strong architectural factor for the building.

The primary “live” loads on the wheel—which is intended to withstand a Scottish storm with a 120-year return time and function at six Beaufort speeds—were caused by wind and thermal motions, putting it beyond the purview of established guidelines. Consequently, a wind tunnel test and construction of a 1:50 scale model were conducted to verify that the assumed loads and behavior were plausible.

Construction

The Falkirk Wheel project, which was intended to span 120 years, involved 1000 workers, many of whom were ICE members. Because the area had previously been utilized for tar operations and mining, there were initial difficulties with mercury and tar contamination. The construction of 600 meters of access roads to transport equipment and supplies to the location was another early-stage task.

After clearing the land, engineers built the structure’s deep foundations using 22-meter concrete piles that were socketed into the bedrock for stability. The Derbyshire-based Butterfly Engineering factory is where the wheel was built and put together in its entirety. After that, it was disassembled and transported in 35 truckloads to Falkirk. Five portions were rebuilt by workers and then hauled into position. The shifting load as the wheel spins in different directions may put stress on different structural components. To prevent fatigue, which is the weakening brought on by applying stresses repeatedly, engineers bolted rather than welded pieces together.

Important Statistics

the Falkirk Wheel has an overall diameter of 35 m and is made up of two opposed arms that extend 15 m past the central axle. It has the pattern of a double-headed Celtic axe. A central axle with a diameter of 3.8 meters (12 feet) and a length of 28 meters (92 feet) is joined to two pairs of these axe-shaped arms. Between the extremities of the arms are placed two opposed water-filled caissons or trolleys. The remarkable 250,000-liter capacity of each of these carts is amazing.

Utilizing the Archimedes principle, the design keeps water levels stable, therefore balancing the gondolas’ weight. With the use of an automated sluice, pumps, and water level sensors, a site-wide computer control system keeps the water levels on either side within a 37 mm (1.5 in) range. Ten hydraulic motors require 22.5 kW (30.2 hp) of electricity to operate. This uses approximately the same amount of energy as boiling eight kettles of water—1.5 kW-hours (5,100 BTU) each half-turn. The two trolleys have a width of 6.5 m (21 ft) and can accommodate four canal boats, each measuring 20 m (66 ft) in length.

Facts

The final design is claimed to have been inspired by a Celtic double-headed spear, a vast turning propeller of a Clydebank-built ship, the ribcage of a whale and the spine of a fish.
1998 -Work started on the ambitious £84.5million Millennium Link projects to re-join the two canals.
Parts were constructed and assembled, in Derbyshire, then dismantled and transported to Falkirk in 35 lorry loads before being bolted back together and craned into position.
1,200 tonnes of steel was used to create The Wheel and over 1,000 construction staff helped to build it.
The structure contains over 15,000 bolts which are matched with 45,000 bolts holes. Each of these bolts was hand tightened.
The 600 tonne gondolas hold 500,000 litres of water.
The Wheel only uses 1.5kWh of energy to turn, the same amount as it would take to boil 8 household kettles.