The longest pier in the Baltic Sea is currently being built in front of the Baltic Sea resort of Prerow in the north of Darß, in the Vorpommern-Rügen district. A railing, for fall protection, that extends on both sides over the entire length of the 720 meter bridge was installed using a chemical fastening from the fischer group of companies.
The pier, which is around 4.20 meters wide and is founded on 87 piles, opens up completely new dimensions for such a structure in the Baltic region. Additionally, motor vehicle service traffic and emergency vehicles (RTW) are also permitted on the pier, adding another dimension.
The new building replaces the former 390 meter long Prerow pier, which was dismantled for the project. In addition, an island harbour with a usable area of approximately 10,000m² will be built, which will take over the function of the Darßer Ort emergency harbour. The inauguration and commissioning of the construction project, which has been under construction since 2022, are planned for the summer of this year.
Reliable chemical anchor fastening
To anchor the steel railing posts in the precast concrete construction on foundation pipes, the ship, industrial and steel construction specialists at Norcons GmbH, the commissioned company, used a chemical fastening system from fischer, which has a European Technical Assessment (ETA) for the application.
8,640 fischer Superbond RSB 12 mini reaction cartridges with 4,320 corresponding RG M 12 x 200 anchor rods in stainless steel were installed. The high forces acting on the railing required a large anchoring depth, which was achieved with two reaction cartridges per fastening point.
"With chemical fastening systems, no spreading forces occur when the anchor rods are set," explains Olaf Schinkel, technical field service for the East Region at the fischer Group, who helped oversee the project. "This makes these systems particularly suitable for narrow components and anchors close to the edge."
For assembly, the steelworkers installed the fischer RG M anchor rod using a rotary and impact hammer drill. This grinds both cartridges in the drill hole, mixing and activating the mortar mass they contain. Ideal for the harsh conditions found on the Baltic Sea, the rapid hardening enabled time-saving assembly and also allows for processing in temperatures as low as -30°C. In addition, the fischer chemical anchor is approved for water-filled and diamond-drilled boreholes as well as for seismic applications in performance category C1.
"Chemical fastening systems transfer particularly high loads into concrete and other building materials," adds Olaf. "Under the special conditions on the pier, sealing the borehole against moisture penetration is also important. The fischer Superbond system therefore offers a permanent and safe solution for fastening the railing on the Prerow pier."
In addition to the appropriate fastening solution, fischer also supported the construction project with accompanying services. This included the dimensioning of the fastening, which was based on the requirements of the railing construction, the geometry of the anchor plate and concrete component, as well as the loads acting on it. The fischer services ranged from advice and dimensioning to on-site support and the successful completion of the railing assembly.
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