CONCRETE STRUCTURE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION AT 4,000 METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL

In the state of Puebla is located a hill called “La Negra” and it is the place chosen to construct a Millimeter Radio-Telescope, the biggest one in the world. The hill corresponds to a volcano system 4,000 meters above sea level and it takes part of the “Faja Volcanica Trans-Mexicana” that goes through the central part of the country from east to west. This place was chosen because it attends to the equipment operation needs, which are defined according to the location and atmospheric conditions of the installation. The final selection was decided after analyzing more than one hundred different places around the world. The millimeter radio telescope has a concrete base that houses an operations building and a dish aerial with a maximum diameter of 50 meters. The equipment base was built over a reinforced concrete structure that is placed “in situ” with an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level. The atmospheric conditions have different temperatures from −5 to 25 °C, cycles of humidity and drying with relative humidity over 60%, wind velocity between 5 and 10 m/s, maximum 14 m/s. The mix was designed reviewing the specific mechanical requirements and the conditions of the place where the mix was to be produced, with a controlled temperature no lower than 10 °C to accomplish the specified properties. To satisfy the concrete rules it was necessary to modify the production plant of concrete to guarantee total control over the mix temperature when fresh and obtain the required hardened properties.

• INTRODUCTION

• OBJECTIVE

• SPECIFICATIONS

• EXPOSURE AND SERVICE CONDITION

• MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES RECOMMENDED

• RESULTS

• CONCLUSIONS

• REFERENCES