With the opening of the Aalesund Bridge on July 1st came the dawn of a new era in Scandinavian road and rail traffic when the century-old dream of a permanent traffic connection between Denmark and Sweden became a reality. The coast-to-coast link comprises a four-lane motorway and a double track electrified railway between Lernacken on the Swedish side and Kastrup on the Danish side. The new trains can travel at top speed of 180 kilometers per hour (ca. 110 mph) making it possible to complete the almost 16km (ca. 10 mile) long link in only about 6 minutes.

 

The construction work took 5 years to complete which included the building of a new motorway and railway in both Sweden and Denmark, together with the tunnel, the artificial island and the bridge that connects Copenhagen and Malmoe.

For the construction of the critical 1092m (3582.68 ft) 'High Bridge' part, in the face of stiff competition, Elga was chosen as the main supplier of flux cored wire (FCW) made by Kobe Steel, Ltd. Japan. This 'High Bridge' is the longest spanning cable-stayed bridge in the world for combined road and rail traffic. Its construction demanded the very best welding consumables and technical support. Since Elga, as the sole supplier of Kobe Steel's FCW in Scandinavia, has built up a vast experience for more than 12 years in the offshore and shipbuilding industries, they were in a strong position to supply technical support and welding consumables.

The steel used for construction was Weldox 420E (EN S 420 ML) from SSAB, which gives excellent impact values down to —40°C. The main contractors were Kockums, Karlskronavarvet and Knislinge Mekainska Verkstad. The wires they selected were DWA-55L (diameter: 1.2mm) for semi-automatic welding and MXA-55T (diameters: 1.2 and 1.4mm) for mainly robotic welding and shop welding.

Both Kobe Steel, Ltd. and Kobeico Welding of Europe B.V. would like to thank Elga for making it possible for KOBELCO to be a part of this truly amazing Scandinavian project.

Report compiled and written in corporation with ELGAAB by Robert Anthony Melvin at Kobeico Welding of Europe B.V.