ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- The Bridge Assembly and Repair Branch at Anniston Army Depot is responsible for assembling bridges currently used for the Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge and Joint Assault Bridge, as well as testing and repair of components for mine defense systems.
The bridge systems are a conversion of old, 60-ton bridges to 95-ton, a procedure the depot has done since January 2019.
After the shop disassembles the bridge components, testing determines what can be reutilized and what should be replaced.
According to Phillip Swain, supervisor for the shop, an ultrasound is performed on each bridge to check for cracks in the rivets.
“We repair all cracks, corrosion and dents,” he said. “When it’s finished, we lift it, test it, make sure the hydraulic lines are not leaking, then turn it in to DLA for the Soldiers.”
The testing and overhaul of the bridges takes them through nine different shops on the installation – from cleaning and finishing shops and machine shops to the hydraulic shop, the bridge assembly shop and paint shops.
“Bridge production has been wide open, producing four to five quality bridges a month for our Soldiers,” said Sheila Moore, maintenance management specialist for the bridge program.
During the overhaul process, the older 60-ton bridges are strengthened using fabrication kits, which fuse sections together, taking the eight-section, 60-ton bridge to a four-section, 95-ton bridge.
According to Moore, ANAD has produced 53 95-ton bridges since January 2019.
“We have a lot of bridges scheduled to be produced through fiscal year 2023, as of today, with many more to come,” said Moore. “The future of the AVLB bridge looks very promising and busy here at ANAD.”
The countermines produced by the shop have three components – a blade, a roller and a mount to attach them to a M1 Abrams tank.
ANAD has been overhauling the M1 countermines since 2012. In that time, according to Moore, the depot has overhauled 154 mine clearing blades, 190 mount kits and 54 mine rollers.
“We are currently working with TACOM on programs to reconfigure the blades to connect with any M1 variant,” said Moore.
Because of the wide variety of work performed in the Bridge Assembly and Repair Branch, the team is comprised of a mixture of skill sets – from general equipment mechanics and heavy mobile equipment mechanics to machinists and welders.
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