EoW July 2014

News Corporate

Istanbul – where two continents meet La Farga is supplying the cables for the railway electrification of the Marmaray project, a new 76km rail link between Halkali and Gebze (Turkey). Part of the new rail link is above ground, while the other part consists of tunnels underneath the Istanbul Strait. This revolutionary railway project is already up and running.

to cross the Istanbul Strait (the immersed tube tunnel technique) was developed in the late 19 th century. The wish to construct a public rail link from west to east in Istanbul and under the Istanbul Strait was gathering momentum in the early 1980s. During this period various technical and demographic feasibility studies of the project were carried out. In 1999 the project began to take shape from a financial perspective and the entire process is now up and running; the underwater tunnel has been inaugurated and is operational. Currently, a journey from Halkali to Gebze takes approximately three hours, including the ferry crossing from Sirkeci to Haydarpasa. With the new Marmaray railway, the journey time will be one hour and forty-five minutes. The railway is currently used by 10,000 passengers and this number is expected to rise to 75,000 with the new project. La Farga Lacambra and La Farga Rod – Spain Website : www.lafarga.es What a show! Eurolls will remember wire 2014 in Düsseldorf for quite some time. This is not only due to the number of contacts and visitors, for the high interest for the machinery that was on the floor and the number of quotations requested, but mainly for the number of contracts that were closed during the show. Top seller award goes to the three-draft cold rolling line NLGH, of which two pieces were sold at the exhibition. One line with a slightly smaller configuration (two drafts due to minimum wire diameter to be produced) will go to Central Africa, a first for Eurolls Machinery Division. Another line will go to the Caribbean, in this case with the same configuration as was at the exhibition, with production of 3.4mm ribbed wire at 18m/second. A third line, with the full three-draft configuration, is on its way to North Africa, in this case strengthening the existing bond with a very good client. As usual a big response came from cassette users and would-be users. Eurolls SpA – Italy Website : www.eurolls.com

The rail link between Halkali (European side) and Gebze (Asian side) is evidence of a firm commitment to providing the country with an improved rail network, making it more accessible through new, innovative, modern and fast rail infrastructures. This is a large-scale project, perhaps one of the largest in terms of railway transport infrastructures. There is approximately 76km of new rail tracks, including a 1.4km long immersed tube tunnel at a depth of 56m. The project also consists of three new underground stations and the improvement and refurbishment of 27 existing stations. The maximum operational speed of the train is 100km/hour, while the time between trains is estimated at 120-600 seconds, which requires a fleet of 440 new trains. For the last two years, Deora Wires and Machines Pvt Ltd has been manufacturing aluminium clad steel wires and has seen an impressive amount of orders from both India and around the world. The company, which uses European machinery, promises high quality products and is able to offer a bespoke service to customers. The company also caters for aluminium tubes for fibre cables and aluminium clad Invar wires. Established in 1973 by Mr Vimal Deora, the company has spent 40 years delivering innovative systems in heavy machinery that have redefined the industry. The company is part of the $30 million Deora Group of Industries, a diversified organisation. This is a new avenue in the sector of electrification and there is huge potential in this segment. Aluminium clad steel is a high strength steel wire with a thick aluminium coating and consists of a central steel core with a layer of high conductivity aluminium extruded over it.

▲ ▲ An artist’s impression of the tunnels underneath the Istanbul Strait

La Farga is one of the key suppliers in this huge railway project, unique in the world, entrusted with the task of carrying out the railway electrification of the 76km of rail tracks. Since 2013 it has been supplying the project with high-performance copper contact wire and bronze cables. The notion of constructing a railway tunnel under the Istanbul Strait was first raised in 1860. At this time the idea was to construct a floating tunnel supported on pillars constructed on the seabed. As the years went by the project was perfected. The aluminium layer forms a seamless metallurgical tie with the steel wire to guarantee permanent bonding during rewinding and stranding. The aluminium layer thickness is at least ten per cent of the wire radius and approximately 25 per cent of the cross-sectional area. Conductivity is proportional to the aluminium layer thickness – with conductivities ranging from 20 to 40 per cent of the IACS. Aluminium clad steel cable is well known for its combination of corrosion resistance, high strength and superior electrical conductivity. These properties make it an excellent choice either as overhead static wire (ground wire, “OPGW”). It can also be used as core in ACSR conductors. For high frequency applications where the “skin effect” is an important factor, for example lighting faults, the conductivity of ACS approaches 100 per cent of aluminium because the highest electrical current density is connected on the external part. DeoraWires andMachines Pvt Ltd – India Website : www.deoragroup.com The technique used in the Marmaray Project

Aluminium clad steel wire from India

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July 2014