福尔柯克车轮(falkirk wheel)

发布于：2023-05-20 22:24:18

位置：英国

分类：交通建筑

内容：实景照片

图片：9张

The Falkirk Wheel is part of the Millennium Link, a project aimed at connecting the east and west coasts of Scotland with an inland waterway. It connects the Grand Union Canal and the Forth and Clyde Canal, negotiating a difference in height of 25 metres (82 feet) between the two. The wheel is the first ever rotating boat-lift and replaces a dismantled staircase of 11 locks. It consists of two giant steel arms that revolve around a central hub, and is a fine balance of architecture and engineering. Each arm consists of two steel containers, in which the boats are held during the 15 minutes it takes to complete the half-rotation which transfers a boat from one canal to the other. While in transition, stability gears maintain the horizontality of the containers, which are designed with sets of lock gates, allowing boats to enter from one side and leave from the other. Up to eight boats can be transferred at a time. The wheel has an actual lift capacity of 35 metres (115 feet) and is equivalent in height to a nine-storey building. According to the architects, the organic form of the wheel was derived from a fish skeleton. The idea originated as a Ferris wheel, but the eventual design is not only simplified in structure, but also more dramatic in appearance and an exceptional example of engineered elegance.