The Design And Construction Of The Prai Swing Bridge For The Electrified Double Track Project Between Ipoh And Padang Besar

The new Prai River Swing Bridge is located along the new 328km electrified double track from Padang Besar to Ipoh in Malaysia, currently under construction by  MMC-Gamuda JV. It provides rail access between the Butterworth and Prai sections of the Penang Port. It is 13m wide and swings open approximately 72° to provide two(2) navigational channels with a minimum clear width of 30m each.

Since the Prai Swing Bridge is also part of the Electrified Double Track Project, provisions have been made for the installation of the Overhead  Catenary Structure (OCS) at approximately 15m intervals along the bridge. The new Prai Swing Bridge carries two(2) rail tracks with galvanised steel sleepers spaced at 500mm. The UIC54 running rails, canted to 1:20, are fastened to the sleepers using Pandrol e-clips with cast iron bearing plates. Resilient pads made of natural rubber are used as rail-seat on the bearing plate. In each of the track, guard rails are also installed.

The electro-hydraulic drive consisting of the center pivot, one(1) lifting cylinder, four(4) turning cylinders, four (4) bridge locking cylinders and four(4) rail locking cylinders serve to slew and lock the new Prai Swing Bridge together with the rail locks. Activation of these cylinders is controlled by two(2) numbers of Industrial PC Simatic IPC547D located at the Control Building and a Simatic Multi-Panel MP277 at Pier 5. The Center Pier and the Control Building is linked by a set of submerged cables which carries the power supply for the equipment as well as the control signal and communication.

This project was awarded the IEM 2013 Award for the Outstanding Engineering Achievement.

Details of the talk are as follows:

Presenter: Dato’ Ir Dr Khoo Ping Sen
Date: Tuesday, 26th August 2014
Time: 6:00 - 7:30PM
Location: Plenary Theatre

All Engineering students and lecturers are invited to attend. If you are interested, please register your interest to Ms. Poonggavanam (v.poonggavanam@monash.edu) by Friday 22nd August 2014; state your name, student ID and Monash email address.

Speaker's Profile

Dato’ Ir Dr Khoo Ping Sen is the Managing Director of Ikhmas Jaya Sdn Bhd. He is responsible for managing and supervising the design and method of construction of all projects. He is also responsible for the special projects undertaken by  Ikhmas Group and the Group’s business development.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from Monash University, Australia in 1975. He was awarded the Monash University Graduate Scholarship and obtained a Doctorate Degree in Civil Engineering specialising in Structures in 1979. While completing his Doctorate Degree in Monash University, Australia, he served as a tutor at the Department of Civil Engineering of Monash University, Australia. Presently, he is a member of the Training and Education Committee, the Application Committee of the Board of Engineers, Malaysia. He is a member of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia since 1983.

He began his career in 1979 with Wan Mohamed & Khoo Sdn Bhd as an Engineer and was promoted to the positions of Senior Engineer, Associate, Senior Associate and Director during his tenure with the company until 1990. Subsequently in 1990, he joined Ho Hup Construction Company Bhd as a Senior Project Manager where he was promoted to the position of General Manager prior to him assuming the position as the Managing Director of Ikhmas Jaya in 1998.

He has been involved in the construction industry for more than 35 years and his expertise is in the area of structural design which focuses on bridges, high-rise buildings and industrial buildings. He also specialises in Bored Piling and foundation works.

Dato’ Ir Dr Khoo Ping Sen has been very supportive in the development of the School of Engineering serving as the Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) for Mechanical Engineering (2011-2012) and Civil Engineering (since 2013).