CHINESE DAM CRAFTMANSHIP:
No crack anymore on the Three Gorges dam: official
There will be no crack anymore on the dam of the right bank of the Three Gorges Project, which is now under construction, even the whole dam, said chief of the China Three Gorges Project Corporation.
The June saw the first anniversary of the completion of the water storage in Three Gorges reservoir, the concrete construction is underway for the dam of the bank on the right. Cao Guangjing, deputy general manager of Three Gorges Project Corporation, said they would try to ensure there would be no crack anymore on the dam. This is not only a wish and a goal but also an assurance.
The Three Gorges Projects consist of three phases: the five-year-long first phase (1993-1997), the second (1997-2003), which is mainly for the dam on the left bank, and the third (2003-2009) phase for the dam of the bank on the right.
Cracks had been found in the completed left dam. Now reporters can not find any there. Staff members told that due to factors like weather, over 80 cracks had been found on the left dam, but they were merely 0.1 to 0.2 millimeter's wide instead of as wide as hand could reach in as rumored.
Cao assured that the cracks are not deep enough as to affect the security of the dam. Presently, chemical grouting has been done to eliminate leakage. Sources say that such cracks mentioned above are defined as "quality defects" in official documents.
The responsible did face up to the defects and accidents during the construction of Three Gorges Project ten years ago. The responsible person said that serious sum-up and review have been made to avoid the reoccurrence of the same problem.
He said, "on the whole good" was the rating given by the expert panel for the quality appraisal of Three Gorges Project under the State Council. But, such wording as "on the whole" will never be affixed on the appraisal of the third phase.
As learned, management in quality has been tightened in the third phase with new technologies applied. The cracks on the dam of the left bank originated mainly from the linkages of concrete pouring. During concrete pouring, internal high temperature and low temperature on the surface sometimes led to cracks. But now, after the pouring, cooling process is added for the concrete, and during cold seasons, there will be cover to maintain the proper temperature.
New temperature-keeping materials such as polystyrene panel, instead of ordinary foamed materials for the linkages in the second phase, are used in the third phase, said Peng Gang, deputy director of the construction section of Three Gorges Project Corporation.
When asked whether cracks would have been avoided if such operations were done for the second phase then, Peng said that reasons for cracks to happen were quite complicated and almost inevitable for all the dams worldwide. With the lesson drawn from the left dam and many tests have been done by the constructors to prevent cracks to happen.
By People's Daily Online
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