The Millennium Linkchasek/ME 472/472 Case Studies/Falkirk Planetary... · connecting Scotland, east to west, seems appropriate and there is a true beauty in the repetitive, sweeping

The Falkirk Wheel - The Millennium Link http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=3

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HISTORY & DESIGN

Introduction

Canals

Boats

The Millennium Link

Design

Construction

Engineering

Education

Further Reading

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The Millennium Link

The Millennium Link was an ambitious, £84.5m project withthe objective of restoring navigability across Scotland onthe historic Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal,providing a corridor of regenerative activity through centralScotland.

One major challenge in this objective was the fact that theForth and Clyde Canal lay 35m (115ft) below the level ofthe Union Canal.

Historically, the two canals had been joined at Falkirk by aflight of 11 locks that stepped down across a distance of

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1.5km, but these had been dismantled in 1933, breakingthe link.

Functionally, then, what was required was a method ofconnecting the two canals by some means of lifting twoboats down the 35m-drop, as quickly and simply aspossible. British Waterways, however, were keen topresent a more visionary solution taking full advantage ofthe opportunity to create a truly spectacular and fittingstructure that would suitably commemorate the Millennium ,and act as a symbol for years to come.

The resultant, perfectly balanced structure that is TheFalkirk Wheel - the world’s first rotating boat lift - was theeventual outcome of British Waterways working togetherwith a design team that combined the internationalexperience of joint-venture contractorMorrison-Bachy-Soletanche with leading specialists fromOve Arup Consultants, Butterley Engineering andScotland-based RMJM architects.

Completion of The Millennium Link project was officiallymarked by Her Majesty The Queen on 24 May 2002 at TheFalkirk Wheel.

The Millennium Link and The Falkirk Wheel have beenfunded by a partnership including The MillenniumCommission, The European Regional Development Fund,Scottish Enterprise Network, seven local authorities andThe Waterways Trust Scotland. Funders who made thisproject possible have also provided a major catalyst for thewider regeneration and economic development of thecanal corridor.

More information on the funding partners is available here.

The Falkirk Wheel - Introduction http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?cat=HISTORY%20::%20DESIGN

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HISTORY & DESIGN

Introduction

Canals

Boats

The Millennium Link

Design

Construction

Engineering

Education

Further Reading


CONTACTS


Introduction

Linking two canals with water levels 115ft apart, The FalkirkWheel is the innovative and dynamic solution to an age oldproblem of transferring boats between levels thattraditionally required a flight of 11 locks. British Waterwayswere keen to present a more visionary solution and theperfectly balanced Falkirk Wheel was the eventualoutcome of British Waterways working together with adesign team that combined the international experience ofjoint-venture contractor Morrison-Bachy-Soletanche withleading specialists from Ove Arup Consultants, ButterleyEngineering and Scotland-based RMJM architects.

The revolutionary design of The Falkirk Wheel exploits thesimplicity of physics, employing a minimum of energy toturn a phenomenal mass of water and steel withawe-inspiring grace and elegance. Capable of lifting 600tonnes of water over 35 metres in less than four minutes,The Falkirk Wheel is powered by ten hydraulic motors thatturn the two caissons, each of which may accommodate upto four 20 metre long boats at any one time. Despite thescale of this power, each turn of The Wheel uses virtuallyno water and the same energy as just two boiling kettles.

The Falkirk Wheel - Design http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=4

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HISTORY & DESIGN

Introduction

Canals

Boats

The Millennium Link

Design

Construction

Engineering

Education

Further Reading


CONTACTS


Design

The original concept of a wheel to act as a boat lift actuallydates back to 19th century Europe, but it was first seriouslyconsidered by British Waterways as the solution for Falkirkin 1994. Dundee Architects, Nicoll Russell Studiospresented a Ferris Wheel type design that was used tosecure Millennium Commission Funding for the Project.

The development of the project was then secured by aconsortium led by Morrison-Bachy-Solentache, and thatincluded Scottish architects RMJM. The combined teamthen reappraised the original designs of the Wheel.

The objective uppermost in all their minds was to create afunctional boat lift that could raise and lower boats swiftly,whilst celebrating the reconnection of the two historiccanals with a structure worthy of a new millennium. Ideasand concepts were numerous, and varied from rolling eggsto tilting tanks, giant see-saws to overhead monorails andincluded some complex counterbalanced structures.

The final outcome was The Falkirk Wheel, whichsuccessfully combines both function and design, creating astunning piece of working sculpture.

The Falkirk Wheel - Design http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=4

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The unique shape of the structure is claimed to have beeninspired by various sources, both manmade and natural,such as a Celtic double headed spear, a vast turningpropeller of a Clydebank built ship, the ribcage of a whaleor the spine of a fish. The canal network as a ‘backbone’connecting Scotland, east to west, seems appropriate andthere is a true beauty in the repetitive, sweeping shapes ofthe aqueduct.

The arches over the aqueduct also add to the drama ofthe structure, forming a complete circle with the reflection inthe canal to extend the feeling of the tunnel. The fact thatthe canal literally ends in mid air creates a thrilling sense ofsailing off the edge into the spectacular scenery of thehorizon.

The Falkirk Wheel - Introduction http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?cat=HISTORY%20::%20DESIGN

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Imperial / Metric MeasurementsWaterways were built using Imperial Measurements suchas feet and miles, and these are still used now, forexample, when referring to the length of waterways or ofboats.

For more contemporary and technical projects such as TheFalkirk Wheel, metric is more appropriate, that is, metresand centimetres.

Throughout this site you may see both types ofmeasurements used.

The Falkirk Wheel - Engineering http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=6

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HISTORY & DESIGN

Introduction

Canals

Boats

The Millennium Link

Design

Construction

Engineering

Education

Further Reading


CONTACTS


Engineering

...or How Does It Work?

The Falkirk Wheel lies at the end of a reinforced concreteaqueduct that connects, via the Roughcastle tunnel and a


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double staircase lock, to the Union Canal.

Boats entering the Wheel’s upper gondola are lowered,along with the water that they float in, to the basin below.At the same time, an equal weight rises up, lifted in theother gondola. This works on the Archimedes Principle ofdisplacement. That is, the mass of the boat sailing into thegondola will displace an exactly proportional volume ofwater so that the final combination of ‘boat plus water’balances the original total mass.

Each gondola runs on small wheels that fit into a singlecurved rail fixed on the inner edge of the opening on eacharm. In theory, this should be sufficient to ensure that theyalways remain horizontal, but any friction or suddenmovement could cause the gondola to stick or tilt. Toensure that this could never happen and that the waterand boats always remain perfectly level throughout thewhole cycle, a series of linked cogs acts as a back up.


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Hidden at each end, behind the arm nearest theaqueduct, are two 8m diameter cogs to which one end ofeach gondola is attached. A third, exactly equivalent sizedcog is in the centre, attached to the main fixed upright.Two smaller cogs are fitted in the spaces between, witheach cog having teeth that fit into the adjacent cog andpush against each other, turning around the one fixedcentral one. The two gondolas, being attached to theouter cogs, will therefore turn at precisely the same speed,but in the opposite direction to, the Wheel.

Given the precise balancing of the gondolas and thissimple but clever system of cogs, a very small amount ofenergy is actually then required to turn the Wheel. In fact,it is a group of ten hydraulic motors located within thecentral spine that provide the small amount, just 1.5kw, ofelectricity to turn it.

The Falkirk Wheel - Construction http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=5

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HISTORY & DESIGN

Introduction

Canals

Boats

The Millennium Link

Design

Construction

Engineering

Education

Further Reading


CONTACTS


Construction

The various parts of The Falkirk Wheel were actuallyconstructed and assembled, like one giant Meccano set, atButterley Engineering’s Steelworks in Derbyshire. A teamthere carefully assembled the 1,200 tonnes of steel,painstakingly fitting the pieces together to an accuracy ofjust 10 mm to ensure a perfect final fit.

In the summer of 2001, the structure was then dismantledand transported on 35 lorry loads to Falkirk, before allbeing bolted back together again on the ground, andfinally lifted by crane in five large sections into position.

The total 600 tonne weight of the water-and-boat-filled

The Falkirk Wheel - Construction http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=5

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gondolas imposes immense and constantly changingstresses on the structure as it turns around the centralspine. Normal welded joints of steel would be susceptibleto fatigue induced by these stresses, so to make thestructure more robust, the steel sections were boltedtogether. Over 15,000 bolts were matched with 45,000 boltholes, and each bolt was hand tightened.

Please use the link below to visit the gallery showingimages of The Wheel throughout the construction process:Construction Image Gallery

The Falkirk Wheel - References and Further Reading http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=38

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HISTORY & DESIGN

Introduction

Canals

Boats

The Millennium Link

Design

Construction

Engineering

Education

Further Reading


CONTACTS


References and Further Reading

"The Falkirk Wheel Guide Book"by David Hayward, published by British Waterways, 2004ISBN 0-9032-1868-2This guide is currently available exclusively from The FalkirkWheel Gift Shop for £3.95

"Scotland's Canals: An Asset for the Future"British Waterways Scotland Policy and Strategy Documentpublished by The Stationery Office 2002,and downloadable here.

"The Falkirk Wheel – Art and Engineering"by RMJM, 2002

“Regeneration of the Forth & Clyde and Union CanalsScotland.”Article in Proceedings of Institute of Civil Engineers,Civil Engineers 138 May 2000 pgs 61-72 paper 12216.www.ice.org.uk

“The Falkirk Wheel”Article in New Civil Engineering magazine18th April 2002 issue.

The Falkirk Wheel - References and Further Reading http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/index.asp?tm=38

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www.nceplus.co.uk Archive section.

“The Falkirk Wheel – from concept to reality”Article in the Structural Engineering 18th Feb 2003 Vol 81 No 4. www.thestructuralengineer.org.uk

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The Millennium Linkchasek/ME 472/472 Case Studies/Falkirk Planetary... · connecting Scotland, east to west, seems appropriate and there is a true beauty in the repetitive, sweeping