SEMINAR 2013

7TH SEMESTER A

THE PANAMA CANAL

A Wonder of Work

By Khalid Pandit BE Civil 1999 SSM COLLEGE OF ENGG. AND TECH.

What is Panama Canal?

The Panama Canal is a lake-and-lock type canal connecting the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama, in Central America. Its length from the deep waters of the Atlantic to the deep Pacific is 51 miles (82 km). By using the canal (instead of going around Cape Horn), ships sailing between the coasts of the United States can shorten their voyage by about 8,000 nautical miles. (1 NM = 1.852 Km) (14816 Km Shortened !!!)

Isthmus of Panama

The Land of Panama

Problems to Overcome
A Very complex mountain chain formation; The difficulties posed by the tropical Jungle, with its annual average rainfall of 105 inches (266.7 cm), and an average temperature of 80 degrees; The tendency of rivers to overflow; and The most mortal of all, malaria and yellow fever diseases, which were endemic in the area.

What do We Build !!!

Overview

What interests Us !!!

How To Build a Major Civil Work in a Hot Climate with early 20th century Technology And have it endure !!!!!

CONSTRUCTION OF PANAMA CANAL

Concrete for the Canal

A concrete sample of about four by five inches, removed from a culvert at Miraflores Locks in 1972 was essentially a mortar containing not much coarse aggregate, There is a noticeable absence of intermed late sized aggregate particles.

Important Structures Built !!!

DAMS LOCK SYSTEM MASS EXCAVATION

FACT !!!!!

CONTAINS ENOUGH EARTH AND ROCK TO BUILD A FENCE

18 THICK AND 3 HIGH AROUND THE

EARTH AT THE

EQUATOR

The Great Dam at Gatun is a Veritable Hill

GATUN LAKE

The then Largest Artificial Lake, forming the main part of Panama Canal, formed by damming Chagres River. It

covers an area of

425 Sq. Km.

20 times bigger than DAL Lake

(DAL 22 sq. Km)

What interests Us !!!

CONSTRUCTION OF PANAMA CANAL

DAMS LOCK SYSTEM MASS EXCAVATION

The Lock System

The transits between the several levels of the canal -between the Atlantic and Gatun Lake, between Gatun Lake (Gaillard Cut) and Miraflores, and between Miraflores Lake and the Pacific -- are effected by means of massive locks of concrete and gates of steel.

LOCK WALLS C-S

Mix For Mass 1:3:6 Mix For Facing 1:2:4 Mix For Finishing 1:3:0

What interests Us !!!

CONSTRUCTION OF PANAMA CANAL

DAMS LOCK SYSTEM MASS EXCAVATION

Galliard ( Culebra) Cut

A total of 238,845,587 cubic yards of material had been excavated during the U.S. construction period. This volume, along with the 30,000,000 cubic yards excavated by the French, totals approximately 268,000,000 cubic yards

and the Wonder of Work lives on!

Thank You