Making things run smoothly
Formwork construction
Formwork construction includes the draft tube elbows as well as complete draft tubes of the turbine, furthermore half and full spiral formwork and concrete cones of the turbine chambers as well as various special formwork such as transitions from circular cross-sections of pipelines to rectangular cross-sections, e.g. of turbine chambers.
Preparation
Our timber construction specialists can look back on almost thirty years of experience in this industry. The draft tube elbows are built in accordance with modern geometry using frame construction and wooden planking. The surface in the hydraulically critical area of the manifold is always covered with a stable (mesh-reinforced) filler and sanded smooth. Before concreting, the formwork parts are treated with formwork oil. This ensures that all curves are later free of burrs and have a streamlined finish.
Installation
The installation of a draft tube formwork in the power plant is usually the first on-site task of WATEC-Hydro. Prior to this, a base plate is concreted on site in the area of the outlet. Our mechanics place the draft tube formwork along with the vertical steel diffusor (cone) on this base plate. After aligning the formwork and the diffusor and checking the height at the flange of the steel diffusor, the formwork is secured against uplift and lateral thrust before further concrete stages are carried out on site.
We also carry out the assembly of, for example, the half-spiral walls in the turbine chambers during the subsequent construction stages.