On 17 October 2023, we took possession of a new Liebherr HS 8130.1 hydraulic cable excavator for use in specialist civil engineering projects in Germany. It will primarily be used to produce diaphragm walls with its mechanical grabber.
The cable excavator has a rated output of 565 kW, a maximum lifting capacity of 130 tonnes and two winches, each capable of delivering 350 kN of traction force.
It was dispatched directly to the Wewelsfleth ElbX construction project, which aims to create a 5.2 km tunnel 20 m below the Elbe River. The employer in this project is the grid operator TenneT TSO. Water-tight starting and finishing pits have to be established before the tunnel boring machine can start its work. These construction pits will be surrounded by diaphragm walls between 1.20 m and 1.50 m thick and up to 50 m tall.
Work to establish a trial section of the diaphragm wall to verify the structural engineering plans began on 24 October. If the outcome is positive, construction of the remainder of the diaphragm walls will begin in the week commencing 6 November 2023.
