PLANNING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE HALIFAX SHIPYARD MODERNIZATION PROGRAM

摘要

Irving Shipbuilding Inc. (the owner) has embarked on a two year modernization program for the Halifax Shipyard to prepare the company's facilities to build Canada's future combatant ships. The centrepiece of the facility will be an enclosed and fully integrated fabrication and assembly building, volume in excess of 850,000 m~3, where vessels will be almost fully assembled in longitudinal sections weighing up to 3,000 metric tonnes (MT). A fabric door at the end of the assembly line provides a clear opening 54m wide by 33m high. The building structural steel frame supports over a dozen major overhead and semi gantry cranes, capacities up to 200 MT, hook height 37m. from the floor and spans approaching 55m. As many as three levels of cranes overlap. To provide the necessary crane rail alignment, strict construction tolerances are required. Foundation conditions are challenging due to the presence of debris and soft materials. Floor slabs as much as 1.2m thick are sensitive to settlement. The owner places high importance on visual impact, exterior and also interior. The owner required Building Information Modeling technology (BIM) as part of the engineering of the facility. Construction is phased to minimize disruption to a functioning shipyard where space is at a premium. The paper focuses on details of engineering and construction of interest to the practicing structural engineer, fabricator and those engaged in modeling of such structures.