Installation Procedures, Challenges & Solutions for 12m Ultra - high Movable Partition Walls: Case Study of Bahrain’s Ministry of Defense Conference Center

1. Introduction   

The conference center of Bahrain’s Ministry of Defense, situated by the Arabian Sea, features a multi - function hall requiring two groups of 12 - meter - high movable partition walls to enable flexible space division. Due to site restrictions (no electric welding allowed) and the harsh marine environment, this project faced significant technical challenges in installing ultra-high movable partition walls. This article details the installation procedures, key challenges encountered, and corresponding solutions, providing technical references for similar projects.   

2. Detailed Installation Procedures   

2.1 Site Preparation & Component Inspection   

Clean the construction site and locate the main steel beams of the hall.   

Inspect all components (steel framework parts, track systems, partition panels, fasteners, etc.) to ensure no transportation - related damage and complete accessories.   

2.2 Steel Framework Installation   

Use high - strength bolts to fix the customized steel framework onto the hall’s main steel beams. The bolt grade and torque must meet the design requirements to ensure connection strength.   

Use laser - assisted surveying equipment to precisely control the position, levelness, and verticality of the steel framework, ensuring it matches the design coordinates.   

2.3 Track System Deployment   

Lock the steel - made track onto the installed steel framework. Strictly control the track’s flatness and alignment (tolerance within 2mm per 5m).   

Conduct a load - bearing test on the track (1600KG per meter) to verify its capacity to support partition panels (600KG per piece).   

2.4 Partition Panel Hoisting & Alignment   

Use professional hoisting equipment (with load moment limiters) to lift each partition panel (600KG) to the designated height. During hoisting, maintain stability to avoid collisions.   

Use a sliding guidance device to dock the panel with the track, and use laser plumb instruments to real - time correct the verticality of the panels (vertical deviation controlled within 3‰ of the height).   

2.5 Sealing & Finishing   

Apply corrosion - resistant sealing materials (such as silicone sealant) at the joints of panels and between panels and the track to ensure air tightness and waterproofing.   

Install decorative trims to cover seams and enhance aesthetic effects.   

2.6 System Testing & Commissioning   

Conduct overall operation tests (opening/closing smoothness, sealing effect, running noise, etc.).   

Perform stress tests (simulating 10,000 operation cycles) and fine - tune the system to ensure stable and reliable long - term operation.   

3. Key Challenges & Solutions   

3.1 Ultra - high Altitude Installation without Welding   

Challenge: The 12 - meter height and prohibition of electric welding increased the difficulty of ensuring connection strength, structural stability, and preventing cumulative installation errors.   

Solution:   

Adopted high - strength bolted connections with pre - stress technology (bolt torque controlled  within ±5% of the design value) to enhance mechanical performance.   

Reinforced node designs through finite element analysis (FEA) to optimize stress distribution and avoid weak points.   

Used three - dimensional laser measurement and adjustable shims to calibrate cumulative errors, ensuring structural strength and installation accuracy under no - welding conditions.   

3.2 Heavy - duty Track Load - bearing Capacity   

Challenge: With a track load - bearing capacity of 1600KG per meter and each panel weighing 600KG, there were risks of long - term track deformation, stress concentration, and reduced operational smoothness.   

Solution:   

  Adopted segmented reinforcement of the track system (adding stiffeners at 1.5m intervals) and used high - strength steel (yield strength ≥345MPa) to enhance load - bearing capacity.   

Conducted finite element analysis to optimize the track structure and performed dynamic load tests (applying 1.5 times the design load) to verify long - term stability.   

3.3 Vertical Precision Control under High Altitude   

Challenge: At 12 - meter height, gravitational sagging, enlarged measurement errors, and cumulative deviations of multiple sections made it difficult to control vertical precision, affecting operational stability and sealing performance.   

Solution:   

Used laser plumb instruments with adjustable devices (such as hydraulic jacks) to real - time monitor and correct verticality during installation.   

 Adopted sectional calibration (dividing the 12 - meter height into 4 segments for step - by - step adjustment) and designed stress release mechanisms (elastic connectors at panel joints) to control overall vertical deviation within 25mm (meeting the industry standard of ≤H/400, where H is the height).   

3.4 Corrosion Prevention in Marine Environment   

Challenge: The marine environment with salt fog accelerated the corrosion of metal components, which could lead to material aging, structural brittleness, and seal failure over time.   

Solution:   

 Used aluminum - zinc coated steel materials (coating thickness ≥75μm) for the steel framework and track to enhance corrosion resistance.   

 Applied fluorocarbon coating (UV resistance ≥2000 hours) on the surface of partition panels and used silicone sealing at all joints to form a closed corrosion - prevention system.   

3.5 Cross - trade Coordination in Complex Site   

Challenge: The site involved multiple trades (ceiling construction, scaffolding erection, electrical installation, etc.), leading to cross interference, spatial conflicts, and schedule delays.   

Solution:   

Utilized BIM (Building Information Modeling) for协同 design to identify and resolve spatial conflicts in advance (such as collisions with ceiling dragons or pipelines).   

 Developed a phased construction plan (e.g., completing steel framework installation before ceiling works) and set up a site dispatching center to coordinate the work of different trades, ensuring smooth construction progress.   

3.6 Safe Lifting & Accurate Docking of Panels   

Challenge: The 600KG weight of each panel and 12 - meter height increased the risks of hoisting accidents and misalignment during docking, threatening work safety and installation accuracy.   

Solution:   

Designed custom hoisting fixtures (with anti - slipping pads and safety locks) to ensure stable lifting.   

Used multi - point displacement sensors to real - time monitor the position during hoisting and adopted hydraulic synchronous devices to ensure smooth and balanced hoisting.   

Installed laser - guided sliding devices on the track to achieve millimeter - level docking accuracy.   

4. Conclusion   

The successful completion of the 12 - meter ultra - high movable partition wall project in Bahrain’s Ministry of Defense Conference Center broke through multiple technical bottlenecks, such as no - welding ultra - high installation, heavy - duty track design, marine corrosion prevention, and cross - trade coordination. This project not only demonstrated the technical strength and innovation capability of our company in the field of high - end architectural space flexible division but also provided valuable experience for the application of ultra - high movable partition walls in large - scale coastal projects worldwide. The adopted solutions (e.g., bolted connection technology, FEA - optimized track design, and multi - layer corrosion prevention) can be referenced in future ultra - high movable partition wall installations under harsh conditions.