On November 27th, the Guantang Bridge in Liuzhou City, Guangxi was officially completed and opened to traffic, and on October 24th, the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge was officially opened to traffic These bridges embody China's top bridge construction technology and showcase the beautiful side of China's reform and opening up to the world. The term "bridge" in the Xinhua Dictionary is interpreted as a structure erected on rivers, lakes, and seas to facilitate the smooth passage of vehicles, pedestrians, and others. And there is a shadow of laser technology application on them, whether large or small. Since the advent of laser technology, it has developed rapidly, spreading from a single industry application to various industries, becoming an indispensable part of the development of some industries. The application in the bridge industry is a symbol of the gradual maturity of laser technology.
 

Bridges are generally composed of five major components and five small components. The five major components mainly include (1) bridge span structure (or bridge opening structure/superstructure), (2) bridge support system, (3) bridge piers and abutments, (4) bearing platforms, and (5) excavation of wells or pile foundations. The five small parts mainly include (1) deck pavement, (2) waterproof and drainage system, (3) railings, (4) expansion joint, and (5) lighting. In which components of architecture does laser technology reflect its wisdom?

Application of Fiber Laser Cutting in Bridge Construction

Laser cutting is the use of a high-power density laser beam to irradiate the cut material, causing it to be quickly heated to the vaporization temperature and evaporate to form holes. As the beam moves the material, the holes continuously form narrow slits, completing the cutting of the material.

Modern bridge construction involves the application of a large amount of metal materials to bridge construction, in order to reduce the load-bearing capacity of the bridge itself and extend its lifespan and safety. So there are significant requirements for the texture and thickness of metals. Fiber laser cutting machines can cut various metals such as carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, copper, etc. The materials cut by laser have good cutting quality, vertical cutting surface, no burrs, thin oxide layer, smooth cutting surface, small thermal deformation, and high curve cutting accuracy. These advantages not only accelerate the process of construction, but also ensure the quality of materials applied to bridge span structures, bridge support systems, and other materials.

In addition, there is an optical fiber tube laser cutting machine, which is mainly used to cut pipes, including square pipes, circular pipes, and irregular pipes. The diameter and thickness of the material cutting can meet the needs of large bridges, such as the cutting of railings and street lamp piles, which can be cut using a pipe cutting machine. It has significant advantages such as simultaneous cutting of multiple pipes and flexible processing.

Application of Fiber Laser Welding in Bridge Construction

Laser welding is the use of high-energy laser pulses to locally heat a material in a small area. The energy radiated by the laser is directed through heat transfer to the internal diffusion of the material, melting the material and forming a specific molten pool to achieve the purpose of welding. Laser welding technology is commonly used in industries such as manufacturing, powder metallurgy, automotive industry, electronics industry, biomedicine, etc. It can achieve automation.

In the bridge construction industry, a large number of thick steel plates and metal material components are used. Laser welding can weld two steel plates with a thickness of 10mm or even thicker, and can ensure that the weld seam is tight, slag free, and flat. Welding of parts using laser brazing joints and other forms involves wetting, spreading, and mutual dissolution and diffusion of liquid brazing material on the surface of the base metal, as well as wetting, capillary flow, and mutual dissolution and diffusion between filling and the base metal in the gaps between the base metal. This not only meets technical requirements but also effectively increases toughness.

Application of Laser Cladding in Bridge Construction

Laser cladding is a new surface modification technology. It forms a metallurgical bonded additive cladding layer on the surface of the substrate by adding a cladding material to the substrate surface and using a high-energy density laser beam to melt it together with a thin layer on the substrate surface.

The metals used in bridge construction must be exposed outdoors to withstand wind and rain. Therefore, laser cladding of metals can significantly improve the wear resistance, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, oxidation resistance, and electrical properties of the base surface, thereby achieving the purpose of surface modification or repair. This not only meets the specific performance requirements of the material surface, but also saves a lot of valuable elements.

Application of Laser Cleaning in Bridge Construction

Laser cleaning is a photophysical reaction caused by the interaction between high intensity beams, short pulse lasers, and pollution layers, thereby achieving the purpose of cleaning.

After using metal materials in bridge construction for a period of time, some materials may rust or indicate delamination. Before repairing, they must undergo "cleaning" before proceeding with a new round of repair. Nowadays, cleaning agents that cause significant environmental pollution have been discontinued, and dye laser cleaning has the characteristics of no grinding, non-contact, no thermal effect, and is suitable for objects of various materials. It is considered the most reliable and effective solution. Meanwhile, laser cleaning can solve problems that cannot be solved using traditional cleaning methods.

Future

Although China's high-speed rail technology belongs to the world's leading position, there are many remote mountainous areas that cannot be reached by high-speed rail. Therefore, a large number of roads and bridges need to be built to connect remote areas to the outside world and allow things to go out, achieving prosperity for everyone. As a laser technology applied in bridge construction, it is expected to become one of the growth points in the laser equipment application industry in the future.

About HGTECH: HGTECH is the pioneer and leader of laser industrial application in China, and the authoritative provider of global laser processing solutions. We have comprehensively arranged laser intelligent machine, measurement and automation production lines, and smart factory construction to provide overall solutions for intelligent manufacturing.