Revolutionary Flood Defence! How innovative drive technology shapes the flood protection measures of the future

Discover the groundbreaking technology that safeguards cities from devastating floods – GROB Antriebstechnik sets new standards in flood protection

Philipp Schmalzhaf - Sales Manager - GROB Antriebstechnik GmbH

by Philipp Schmalzhaf, Sales Manager

Miter Gates - Flood Defence

Case Study: Ipswich Flood Defence - Miter Gates

Our partner company, Drive Lines Technologies, was recently part of the manufacturing and design process for part of the Ipswich Flood Defence Management Scheme (FDMS). Hunton Engineering Ltd. was commissioned to provide Volker Stevin contractors with a miter gate solution with flap seals, designed to protect against flood risks.

As part of the new multi-faceted FDMS, the gate was to be electrically and mechanically driven and controlled as an important component of the larger flood defence scheme.

Hunton has been established for more than 25 years, and is a leading design, fabrication and installation company that designs, manufactures, and installs river control structures and flood defences.

After the initial design was completed, Hunton took on the project of the gate detail design and build. Design Engineer Nigel Molton and Company Director Sean Trow worked on the technical specification, based on previous successfully implemented flood defence solutions the team had fabricated and installed. Drive Lines Sales Manager Matt Jones worked closely with Hunton’s team to select the most technically suitable electromechanical solution from our product range, including 3D models, to integrate into the design.

Drive Lines, also established for three decades, has a wealth of industry knowledge and used this experience to recommend the most effective solution to challenges the design raised.

miter gates

As a vital part of the FDMS, these 5m long miter gates are designed to close off the railway lines and form a barrier against flood water. The reliable opening and closing of such large gates would require a marine specification Electric Actuator on each gate, with a stroke of nearly 1400mm and a linear force of up to 70KN. Drive Lines recommended and supplied two ADE MSK50 Electrical Actuators, specially designed for use within hydraulic structures including marine paint specification C5M.

With precision stainless steel body and ceramic coated piston rods, the unit is IP68 (submerged) protected as well as benefitting from ice and dirt protection. Both of these ADE linear actuators are driven via an integrated three-phase electric motor, and an Auma SA14.6 rotary actuator with anti-back-drive. The actuator also includes an integrated spring assembly, to absorb axial impacts from any potential obstructions or extreme water forces.

miter gates 2

When the gates were in place over the railway lines, Hunton also wanted to include flap seals which could be lowered in position to stop flood water escaping under the gates as, in order to function over the railway lines, clearances for safety are required.

Drive Lines suggested a mechanically linked, multiple Screw Jack arrangement for each gate. This included four MJ1 compact Cubic Screw Jacks with stainless steel construction to protect against the elements. The R+W stainless steel ZAE line shafts transmitted the torque between each jack, and were driven by two robust stainless steel Graessner PowerGear bevel gearboxes. The drive was energized by a marine specification IP67 WELKON/OBEKI Motor from Drive Lines, which completed the required drive package.

In the video below, you can see the flap seals in action.

Once installed, Hunton connected the ADE actuators and set the torque limits and final positions via integral mechanical switches. The flap seals are controlled for raise and lower functionality via integrated limit switches mounted into the Screw Jacks on each gate, so all could be easily controlled remotely and centrally by the user.

miter gates 3

The final installation is an impressive sight, with smooth and quiet electrical drives for both applications which will ensure a clean and environmentally friendly flood protection solution for years to come, with little to no maintenance required for the electro-mechanical parts.

FAQs about Screw Jacks and Linear Actuators

A Screw Jack is a combination of a spindle (screw) and a nut (worm gear or traveling nut) that converts rotational motion into linear motion through a worm gear drive.

How screw jacks work and where they are used - GROB GmbH chevron_right

Basic Version: The spindle itself performs the axial movement.

Traveling Nut Version: The spindle remains stationary in space but rotates. The nut then moves up and down on the spindle.

  1. Cubic & Classic: primarily external differences. A matter of personal preference regarding which one is preferred. Performance data is nearly identical.
  2. High-Performance Screw Jack: Standard up to 3000rpm input speed, with oil filling and cooling fins - explicitly higher dynamic load capacity.
  3. High-Speed Screw Jack: explicitly high dynamic capability, but load capacity decreases to a maximum of 90kN.
  1. Standard gearboxes with standard trapezoidal threads achieve efficiencies between 25-35%.
  2. Increasing the pitch makes the thread slip more easily, thus increasing efficiency.
  3. The combination with a ball screw can also achieve an efficiency of up to 50%.
  4. Best combination: bevel gear lifting drives with ball screws, which achieve over 80%.

Yes, the use of stainless steel materials is a common practice for environments with aggressive media.

For continuous monitoring, rotary encoders can be mounted on the motor or the worm shaft.

If only the end positions are relevant, limit switches can be used to query the desired end positions.

In hydraulic cylinders, we also often use potentiometers, which then return a certain resistance value that can be read out by the controller.

The confusion sometimes arises because in both cases, there's an additional element at the back of the spindle.

  1. The spindle travel limiter is merely a ring on the thread that prevents the spindle from falling out.
  2. The anti-rotation feature additionally prevents the spindle from twisting.

Customer side: The customer bears the load, preventing it from twisting. If the spindle is then attached to the load, it also cannot twist.

Gear side (product itself has a prevention rotation): We either use a groove running completely through the spindle with a corresponding key as a counterpart. Alternatively, a square block can be screwed onto the back of the spindle, and the protective tube is designed as a square tube.

The specification '20% duty cycle per hour' is always associated with a certain power consumption at the gear unit. Therefore, if the permissible power value is not exceeded, less heat is generated, and the gear unit requires less time to cool down. This allows achieving more than 20% duty cycle.

Yes, Screw Jacks can be manufactured entirely in stainless steel and equipped with food-grade grease approved according to H1 standards.

The housing is made of aluminum die-casting or gray cast iron, the spindle, protective tube, and worm shaft are made of steel, while the worm wheel or traveling nut are made of a bronze alloy. Additionally, there are many variants.

Yes, with motor adaptors, motors or geared motors can be flexibly attached. You decide whether you want to provide the motor yourself or if GROB takes care of it.

Yes. A Screw Jack can be operated with any rotary drive, whether electric, mechanical, or manual.

When under compression, typically buckling is the limiting factor. Under tension, it's either the availability of raw material (rods commonly available up to 6m) or the critical bending speed (in the case of the traveling nut version). For larger strokes, the spindle can also be made in multiple parts.

In applications with high safety requirements, two independently acting holding mechanisms may be required. This could be dynamic self-locking + motor brake or, alternatively, an independently switchable dual brake on the three-phase motor.

Yes. Common voltage types are 24V DC / 230V AC / 400 VAC. Additional voltages in both direct and alternating current ranges are available upon request.

A three-phase motor rotates depending on the mains frequency. The higher the frequency, the faster the motor rotates. Rated speeds at 50Hz are as follows: for 2-pole motors, 3000rpm; for 4-pole, 1500rpm; for 6-pole, 1000rpm; for 8-pole, 750rpm.

Lubricating grease of NLGI grade 1 or 2, suitable for heavily loaded sliding and rolling bearings. Compatibility with the existing lubricant must be ensured. It's crucial whether the grease is mineral or synthetic-based.

It depends on the operating cycle and conditions. Typically, every 500 double strokes.

The lubricant quantity depends on the size and type of the gear unit. You can find specific data in our general catalog. Here's an example for our Cubic Screw Jacks: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

0 - 6000mm in the standard range. Lengths over 6m are also possible for special applications, but then with a multi-part spindle. Gradations can be made in the millimeter range.

Grease lubrication in the gearbox: up to 1500rpm; >1500rpm to 3000rpm flow grease or oil lubrication.

You can install mechanical, magnetic, or inductive limit switch solutions. Preparation for custom sensors is also possible. Please note that it's not possible to implement end position detection on traveling nut version Screw Jacks.

For detailed information, refer to the beginning of each Screw Jack chapter in our catalog. Here's an example for Cubic Screw Jacks: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

For grease-lubricated Screw Jacks, the mounting position can be freely chosen. For oil-lubricated Screw Jacks, the orientation of the ventilation must be considered.

The manufacturer's rated load capacity shouldn't be exceeded. However, Screw Jacks typically have safety factors ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 times the rated load.

Temporarily possible, however, this results in a significantly reduced lifespan.

Yes, for Screw Jacks with ball or roller screw mechanisms, a lifespan can be calculated. However, for trapezoidal screw mechanisms, lifespan calculation is not possible. More information on the calculations can be found here.

The required power depends on the load and stroke speed. A 30% reserve to the required power is recommended for the drive. The Screw Jack should be operated within the maximum specified parameters, which depend on the version and size. You can find exemplary power limits for Cubic Screw Jacks here: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

The safety margin can be increased or reduced. If reduced, it's important to ensure that block drive is always prevented during operation of the system.

A block drive describes the execution of the lift against a fixed stop. In this process, the lifting element is 'blocked' by the fixed counterpart.

The driving element, usually a three-phase motor, doesn't stop automatically but needs a signal for shutdown. This signal can be generated through limit switches, encoders, potentiometers, or other displacement-monitoring components.

Mechanical drives are very sensitive to movement against fixed stops. Depending on the force of the motor, a block drive typically results in damage to the spindle-nut system.

Ball screw spindles make sense when:

  1. The power consumption is too high in combination with trapezoidal screw spindles
  2. A higher stroke speed is desired
  3. A higher precision is desired

The axial play of a trapezoidal screw spindle typically ranges from 0.1 to 0.3mm. When the axial play reaches 1/4 of the trapezoidal profile, replacement of the trapezoidal screw nut is recommended.

Although lateral forces significantly reduce the lifespan of Screw Jacks, there are certain limits within which lateral forces can be absorbed. You can find relevant information here: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

Screw Drives: Trapezoidal Screw vs. Ball Screw - GROB GmbH chevron_right

The standing spindle creates relative motion through the rotating worm wheel, while the rotating spindle generates relative motion for the traveling nut. The advantages and disadvantages depend on the space constraints of your lifting system.

Yes, each size (regardless of the Screw Jack type) offers 2x reduction stages (-> Normal and Slow). The exception is the High-Speed Screw Jack. Here, gear ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 are possible.

Spindle extension defines a dimension that provides a certain extra length compared to the standard when in the retracted state. For example: You only need an effective stroke of 100mm, but there's a distance of 400mm to cover between the start of the stroke and the gearbox. Then we extend the spindle by 400mm, so when fully extended, you reach a total of 500mm.

Yes, appropriate protection can be achieved through painting or the use of stainless materials.

Yes, the functions of 'lifting' and 'moving' can be performed by any mechanical lifting element.

This version uses an additional tube to protect the spindle, which sits on the traveling nut. The piston tube version thus describes a lifting cylinder that has been modified based on a Screw Jack.

The following points necessitate an oil version:

  1. Use in explosive atmospheres with gas. A mandatory ATEX questionnaire is required.
  2. Input speed at the worm shaft ranging from 1500rpm to 3000rpm.

In standard operation, the SFM runs load-free with the main nut. If the main nut fails, the SFM takes over the load. A stroke can then be performed to shut down the system. Additionally, the SFM is also used as a reference nut for wear measurement.

The spindle can be protected by folding bellows or spiral protective sleeves.

It prevents the rotation of the spindle. If a translational spindle were to rotate, linear motion would no longer be possible.

  1. Electronic bridge: If each lifting element of the system is driven by a motor, electronic synchronization can be achieved through encoders.
  2. Mechanical linkage: More cost-effective and fail-safe are cardan shafts and bevel gearboxes, which can connect all lifting elements of a system together.

A travel limiter (AS) prevents the spindle from accidentally falling out in the basic version. It's not intended as a mechanical end stop.

Yes, Screw Jacks and MINI Cylinders can be used within certain limits for ATEX zones as well.

For the spindle end, the standard range offers options including threaded end, articulated head, ball joint head, flange plate, bearing flange plate, and pin. You can find corresponding dimensions in the General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

In the case of the traveling nut version, only the nut connection dimensions change. In the basic version with the Ball Screw spindle, it may occur that the bearing cover is raised to accommodate the Ball Screw nut in the gearbox.

Yes, threaded spindles can also be equipped in stainless steel.

The IP66 classification indicates that the actuator is dust-tight and protected against strong jets of water. Ideal for applications requiring robust protection.

Actuators with IP66 are suitable for harsh environments such as industrial settings, outdoor use, or applications requiring water cleaning.

The IP66 protection class significantly reduces the ingress of dust and water, minimizing maintenance requirements. However, regular inspection is advisable.

There are mechanical, electromechanical, direct electric Linear Actuators (linear motors), as well as hydraulic and pneumatic linear actuators. We utilize electromechanical actuators in our drive solutions.

Which types of linear drive technology there are - GROB GmbH chevron_right

Electric linear drives use electrical energy for motion, whereas hydraulic and pneumatic drives use fluids or gases. Electric drives are more precise and efficient.

Question not included?

You can find more application examples and drive solutions here

Cubic Screw Jack - GROB Drive Technology GmbH

What is a Screw Jack?

Here we explain how Screw Jacks work and the fundamental aspects that define them. Dive in and discover why Screw Jacks are an essential component for various applications.

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Philipp Schmalzhaf - Sales Manager - GROB Antriebstechnik GmbH

Philipp Schmalzhaf, Sales Manager