GUPC – Panama Canal 3rd Expansion, lock gate

The Panama Canal expansion project includes the construction of a third lane of locks alongside the existing lock complexes (the Gatun locks on the Atlantic coast and the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks on the Pacific coast, water level difference is 27m). The typical gate structure is 58m long, 35 meter high and 10 meter wide. The design requires very complicated analyses, like dynamic behaviour of the gate under seismic vibration behaviour with oscillated water, high fatigue resistance joints, buckling calculation of stiffened plates both subject to out-of-plane loading and combined analysis with concrete lock head. The project is strictly monitored and controlled by QA system established by canal owner – ACP, which means every single line of calculations is carefully thought through and checked both internally and externally.