Debut of the World’s Top Drill, XR1600E!

XCMG XR1600E, the world’s top drill, makes its debut to assist in achieving a global record, ending the history of no railway connection in the Zhoushan islands.

XCMG XR1600E rotary drilling rig participated in the construction of the Xihengmen Bridge. This project is a shared cross-sea bridge for the Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway and Ningbo-Zhoushan Expressway, spanning the Xihengmen Channel. With a main span of 1488m|4,888 ft, it is currently the world’s largest cable-stayed and suspension hybrid bridge under construction, and also the largest dual-purpose railway and highway bridge in China.

Not only does this bridge have a large span, but the site is also characterized by strong winds, high waves, deep water, and fragmented rocky layers underwater. The main tower foundation (Pier 5 Foundation) constructed by the XR1600E reaches a water depth of 60m|197 ft, while the maximum water depth of completed cross-sea bridges in China is only 40m|131 ft. This poses a tremendous challenge to the construction of the bridge foundation. To overcome this challenge, the builders adopted 18 ultra-large diameter bored piles with a diameter of 6.3m|20.7 ft and a length of 84m|275.6 ft, which are the largest bridge foundation bored piles in the world.

XCMG XR1600E rotary drilling rig has a maximum drilling depth of 190m|623 ft and a maximum drilling diameter of 7.5m|24.6 ft, making it the preferred model for super large pile foundation projects such as high-rise buildings, high-speed railways, cross-sea bridges, and offshore wind power. In addition, for transportation convenience, the XR1600E adopts an innovative split-drive station, which has been comprehensively upgraded in terms of working performance, construction efficiency, functional expansion, structural strength, safety protection, service life, daily maintenance, and appearance. It has more than 20 invention patents and represents a new level of global pile foundation construction equipment.

Equipped with specially designed drilling tools, the XR1600E is fully capable of meeting the challenge of drilling through the water-permeated bare rock with an ultra-large diameter of 6.3m|20.7 ft in this complex marine environment. The construction of the foundation piles is progressing according to plan. Once the Xihengmen Bridge project is completed, it will directly fill the gap of no railway connection in Zhoushan. The middle section of the bridge will be a railway with a designed speed of 250km/h|155 mph, while the two sides will be highways with a designed speed of 100km/h|62 mph. It will complete the last missing piece of the “one-hour high-speed rail transportation circle within the province” and the “high-speed rail connection between cities,” achieving a 30-minute railway connection between Ningbo and Zhoushan.