10 floors tall: China unveils world's most powerful hydraulic cylinder

Oct 23, 2024

The colossal hydraulic cylinder is 92 feet tall and 6.5 feet in diameter—the size of a ten-floor building.

Baba Tamim

The massive hydraulic cylinder for large pile-driving vessels on the assembly line.

CCTV

The world’s “most powerful” hydraulic cylinder for marine pile driving has been unveiled in China’s Changzhou, Jiangsu province, marking a massive leap in technological advancement.

With a maximum thrust power of 5,000 tons, the cylinder can allegedly raise 1,000 adult African elephants with ease, according to local media reports.

“It has been designed to provide a strong ‘heart’ for a 150-metre pile-driving vessel currently under construction,” noted a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, quoting the Jiangsu-based Nanjing Morning Post.

Developed by state-owned giant China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the hydraulic system reportedly represents a breakthrough in China’s domestic manufacturing capacity.

The colossal hydraulic cylinder, which is 92 feet tall and 6.5 feet in diameter—the size of a ten-floor building—was revealed on Tuesday.

China has previously been dependent on imports of key components. But, with complete control over the design and manufacturing of such machines, the country has allegedly reduced reliance on Western technology.

Many marine engineering projects, such as the highly ambitious “world’s longest cross-sea high-speed railway bridge,” Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge, are expected to rely heavily on this hydraulic cylinder.

With the launch of this monster pile-driving vessel to connect rivers and seas, China’s marine infrastructure capabilities have advanced, stated the SCMP report.

The cutting-edge design and technology of the machine are also expected to have an impact on China’s offshore drilling platforms and renewable construction, especially in deep-sea wind power facilities.

This development could draw increased scrutiny from Western powers as China advances its marine engineering technology.

China’s hydraulic cylinder tech could be directly competing with major players like German Bosh Rexroth and Parker Hannifin Corporation from the United States.

These businesses are well recognized in the market for their top-notch technology and product portfolio that have dominated the market for long.

The market for hydraulic cylinders was worth USD 15 billion in 2023 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6 percent, as per Global Market Insights, a market research and strategy consulting firm.

Over the first half of the year, China’s maritime economy grew steadily and outpaced the country’s GDP growth. The sector’s gross output reached 4.9 trillion yuan (U.S. $678.55 billion), according to China’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

Earlier this month, the Chinese multinational heavy equipment manufacturing company SANY unveiled another colossal engineering equipment capable of testing 35MW monster wind turbines, Intresting Engineering reported.

It is claimed that the test facility can mimic 20 years of wind farm operation in a single year by using high-intensity accelerated fatigue testing.

The giant “equipment has six 100-tonne hydraulic cylinders and uses multi-directional, coordinated loads across six degrees of freedom. This allows for extreme, multi-axis stress testing.”

Meanwhile, the success of China’s latest hydraulic cylinder equipment is linked to the innovative consortium that decided to establish marine engineering in Beijing.

The SCMP report noted that the consortium’s members include “elite Chinese talent in the field, including professionals from CCCC, other major state-owned enterprises and large private companies, as well as universities with academic strengths such as Tsinghua University.”

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Baba Tamim Baba Tamim, an award-winning journalist, has traversed the world of social justice to explore the dynamic frontiers of technology. From early dispatches for outlets like USA Today and Al Jazeera to in-depth analyses of AI and hypersonic advancements for Interesting Engineering, his storytelling prowess has evolved alongside the ever-changing landscape of innovation. Tamim's expertise lies in uncovering the human impact of groundbreaking tech, highlighting both its potential and its complexities.

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