(by du shangfeng) the launching ceremony of the hong kong-zhuhai-macao bridge (hzmb) was held on october 23 in zhuhai, guangdong province. chinese president xi jinping, also general secretary of the communist party of china (cpc) central committee, attended the ceremony and announced the opening of the hzmb, which was opened to traffic one day later at 9 am october 24. this 55-kilometer bridge spans the lingding channel, connecting hong kong to the east and zhuhai and macao to the west. consisting of a series of bridges, artificial islands and a tunnel, this world’s longest cross-sea bridge is one of the transportation projects in china with the most technical complexity, most stringent requirements and highest standards, thus also listed among the seven wonders of the new world by the guardian. various new materials, equipments and technologies previously unavailable in china and other countries in the world were used during the construction. among them was the liquid polysulfide rubber from jinxi research institute of chemical industry (jrici), used to seal the joints of stayed cables on the bridge. this marks that the company’s product has played a key role in a world famous transportation project once again after jrici’s aeronautical pmma helped the ag600 succeed in its first test flight on waters on october 20.
polysulfide rubbers are special synthetic rubbers. jrici is the earliest and currently the only chinese company engaging in polysulfide rubber research and production. having always taken advantage of its technical talents as a scientific research institute to pursue independent innovation, the institute uses cutting-edge techniques and equipment to produce polysulfide rubbers featuring better performance, unparalleled bond strength, elongation and aging resistance compared with foreign products of the same kind, thus enjoying a high reputation among upscale customers at home and abroad. the success of polysulfide rubbers in the hzmb construction has inspired the passion and energy of researchers and engineers in jrici and made polysulfide rubbers applicable to more areas. moreover, it has made jrici more influential as a polysulfide rubber manufacturer and laid a solid foundation for the enterprise to explore upscale products for civilian use and enhance its economic strength through structural adjustment and technological innovation.