A big step towards the balanced production of one of the cleanest sands in our country

Many construction companies have set up their plants in Sóskút, as the town, which borders Érd and is easily accessible from Budapest, is an ideal location for industry due to its infrastructure and raw materials. The village has been quarrying and using stone for almost 400 years. In 1765, although there was certainly large-scale mining in Sóskút. In the mid-19th century, the economic boom allowed large-scale construction works, which also brought about the economic boom of Sóskút: its quarries produced the stone-building and sculptural elements of the millennium installations.

Inside they delivered stones for the construction of the Budapest and Vienna opera houses, the Chain Bridge, the Parliament, the Basilica and the Buda Castle.

The foundation of all construction

While quarries were the most important type of mining at the turn of the century, by the end of the 20th century, sand pits were the most important for the production of concrete and glass. Sóskút also has excellent conditions in this respect: the quartz sand quarry belonging to Bayer Construct Zrt„s quartz sand mine, which produces raw materials with a very high silicon dioxide content even in situ, now manufactures products that are indispensable on many construction sites. The raw material is characterised by its high biological and chemical purity and its highly abraded, rounded grain shape. This high-quality raw material is used, among other things, in

• for the production of tile adhesives and floor levelling compounds,
• for surface cleaning materials; for granular cleaning of metal, stone and concrete surfaces,
• as mechanical filter cartridges for drinking water filters,
• resin for the production of concrete products and floor coverings,
• for non-ferrous metal casting, but
• for road and rail deslippage.

At the Bayer site, the previous 11 special silos for storing dried sand can now be expanded by a further eight with the Orha Művek. The increased storage capacity will contribute significantly to more balanced production and continuous operation of the mine.

Precise structural design

"The cladding of the structure started in August 2023 and is expected to be completed in May 2024, followed by the installation of the internal technology," said Tamás Sajben, head of Orha Művek's building construction business, who pointed out:

"In addition to ensuring basic structural and strength compliance, manufacturability, transportability and constructability are always important considerations when designing custom steel frame structures."

In a preliminary design programme, MIV Mérnökiroda Kft. prepared the structural and foundation plans at "permit" level, and Orha Művek revised and optimised the design to develop the execution and production plans. The uniqueness of this industrial building, with its high loads and relatively high height, required special attention from the very beginning of the structural design. In addition to the basic structural requirements, the geometrical integration with the existing silo building and the provision of access at different slab levels were real challenges, which required multiple and thorough geodetic surveys.

A walkable and openable/closable ribbed sheet cover was constructed at the slab level above the silos to provide geometric space for the process piping used to contain the silos. Special slab plane stiffeners were used to avoid geometric collisions between the process and the supporting structure.

Replicable solutions helped to work efficiently

In addition to the economical use of available steel profiles, the most important aspect in the design of the production was to keep an eye on productive manufacturing.

"The use of repeatable solutions has helped to increase the efficiency of production and assembly."

- added Tamás Sajben. In addition to accurate and error-free production plans, production lists facilitated the procurement of raw materials and the organisation of production, as well as the compilation of delivery units. Realistic 3D modelling was used for the design, without which modern steel structural design is unthinkable today, but of course decades of design experience are also essential.

Trapezoidal sheets cover the roof and side walls, which were manufactured on Orha Művek's own production lines manufactured on its own production lines: the ES.F20 – 20 mm high wall profile and the ES.T 35 roof profile were rolled from 0.63 mm thick sheet metal. The bent elements placed at the corners, eaves and around the doors and windows of the building's ridge, as well as the installation of the gutter drainage elements, were also carried out by the company itself.

"This is a beautiful, challenging and complex task," summarized Tamás Sajben, "since the structure is being built without disturbing the existing plant, and in addition, apart from the illuminating trapezoidal sheet, the entire material requirement was manufactured in our own plant (steel structures, panels, trapezoidal sheets and edge-bent elements).