On September 16, 2026, the Pinglu Canal, a century-old mega waterway project, was officially opened to navigation. As the first canal connecting rivers to the sea since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it opens up a major river-sea intermodal transport corridor in southwest China, serving as a strong pulse of the new western land-sea channel.
FLDC (Hubei Fulide Coatings Co., Ltd.), a leading local industrial coating manufacturer, independently developed and produced high-strength epoxy resin, which has been successfully applied to the miter gate project of the Madao Junction of the Pinglu Canal, laying a solid safety foundation for this super water transport project with its high-performance material strength.
Strict Working Conditions of Mega Junction, Customized Material Solution
The Pinglu Canal has a total length of 134.2 kilometers, with a 5,000-ton waterway and three double-line ship lock navigation junctions. Among them, the Madao Junction is the junction with the largest concrete pouring volume and the highest technical difficulty along the entire canal. It holds three “world records”: the highest water head, the largest scale, and the fastest valve opening and closing speed. It adopts the world’s first three-stage overlapping water-saving ship lock technology, serving as the core checkpoint for the navigation operation of the entire canal.
As the key navigation component of the ship lock, the miter gate bears long-term river impact and heavy load extrusion, setting extremely high thresholds for the compressive strength, dimensional stability and shrinkage rate of the pouring materials for supports and cushions. The material quality is directly related to the long-term safe and stable operation of the giant ship lock.
In response to the strict hydraulic working conditions of the project, FLDC customized a targeted solution and provided high-strength epoxy resin materials for the pouring of supports and cushions of the upper and lower lock head miter gates at the Madao Junction. The total final setting volume of the project is 8.261 m³.
The product has passed third-party authoritative testing by the National Center for Quality Inspection and Testing of Construction Engineering: the 7-day compressive strength reaches 92.5 MPa, the 15-day compressive strength reaches 95.1 MPa, and the shrinkage rate is as low as 0.09%. All indicators are better than the project technical agreement standards. The excellent compressive performance and ultra-low shrinkage characteristics can perfectly adapt to the heavy load bearing conditions of the miter gate, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the opening and closing operation of the giant ship lock.
Deep Cultivation in Special Hydraulic Materials, Continuously Empowering National Infrastructure
Mega projects demand precision in every detail. During the construction of the Pinglu Canal, 21 major technological innovations were realized, and more than 220 invention patents were applied for. With landmark achievements such as the world’s first three-stage overlapping water-saving ship lock technology, it has refreshed China’s inland waterway infrastructure strength.
Behind the mega projects, both major technological innovations and solid support of special new materials are indispensable. As a professional supplier focusing on heavy-duty anti-corrosion for hydraulic engineering and special polymer materials, Hubei Fulide Coatings Co., Ltd. has long been deeply engaged in the water conservancy and water transportation industry, with full-chain capabilities in formula R&D, intelligent manufacturing and on-site technical services.
The application of its products in the key parts of miter gate supports and cushions at the Madao Junction of the Pinglu Canal is an important practice of the company’s special polymer materials in national waterway projects.
The opening of the Pinglu Canal will greatly shorten the sea voyage in southwest China, activate the port-side industrial clusters along the route, and open up an important channel for both domestic and international dual circulation.
Moving forward, FLDC will continue to adhere to technological innovation, polish high-performance special coatings and grouting materials, and continuously deliver reliable products and professional services for national major infrastructure projects such as water conservancy hubs, waterway ports and bridges, empowering more mega projects with material strength.