Features of the design and construction of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station
The author attempts to consider the issue of features of the design and construction of the station, in the anniversary year of the first start of the unit of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station. The relevance of the research lies in the fact that domestic publications have fragmentally considered this topic. The purpose of this study is to consider the features of the design and construction of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station, to identify its uniqueness in comparison with other hydraulic structures. The authors used archival documents, journalistic literature and articles in scientific journals to work on the topic. The research methods were comparative-historical and the method of systematic analysis, which allows summarizing the data of the sources and grouping dissimilar judgments and assessments. The hydroelectric complex is located not on rock grounds, but on “soft” soils, therefore engineering solutions were made to shore on the foundation of the construction to ensure strength and stability. The power site has a considerable unit cost. Neither of the hydroelectric power stations of the Volga river has such unit costs. It puts the spillway dike first among domestic and foreign hydroelectric complexes, built on “soft” soils. The main concrete constructions are located on the right bank, so it became necessary to clear the left bank. The river was moved to a new course under an unfortified earth dike cofferdam. It was the first time in the history of the Volga construction projects. The hydroelectric power station building is combined with a spillway, so it partially takes over the function of a spillway dike. Advanced, at that point, construction technology, used for the construction of the facility, provided an opportunity to reduce the erection time. These are for example, pouring of concrete with the use of vibrating blocks and reusable form, and concrete delivery to hard-to-reach areas of the facilities using concrete placer pump. Such technologies are currently widely used in construction. Industrial filter drain pipes were used to filter the soil under the facilities, which in turn led to a significant reduction in the volume of filter materials. Thus, the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station is a unique hydraulic structure. Design choices distinguish it from other stations. There are modern technologies in construction that are currently widely used in industrial and urban construction. The paper is of interest, in terms of the history of hydraulic construction, to the use of further research of the topic.