World's biggest shock absorbers. The HSL-Zuid Train Bridge in Holland needed a shock absorber capable of holding the concrete-and-steel structure steady - even with high-speed trains zipping across its platform and temperature changes causing it to contract and expand. The ITT Industries built the largest shock in the company's 145-year history. See story, page 17.

The construction company responsible for building the HSL-Zuid Bridge in Holland needed a shock absorber capable of holding the concrete-and-steel structure steady - even with high-speed trains zipping across its platform and temperature changes causing it to contract and expand. The ITT Industries (www.itt.com) came through with the largest shock ever built in the company's 145-year history.

Measuring more than 6 feet from end-to-end and weighing 1,300 pounds, these bridge dampers will connect the concrete supports to the steel bridge structure. The bridge spans the Hollands-Diep River and is part of the high-speed train line that connects Amsterdam to Brussels and eventually ties in with the French TGV line.

When the bridge becomes operational next year, trains traveling faster than 120 miles-per-hour will cruise across the 1.2 mile span in just seconds. But passengers won't know they are suspended high above the water unless they look out the window.

"With ITT Industries' KONI dampers in place, passengers will not feel any change in comfort," Ton van Dongen, R&D engineer for KONI, said. "We have developed internal components made from special material that enable these dampers to withstand the huge forces involved on the bridge."

These forces also include temperature-induced contortions. The bridge length can vary by almost a foot as temperatures change, and the shocks have to adjust accordingly. ITT Industries was brought in for this bridge-damping job based on its past success with similar oversized construction projects. The most recent example is the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

This engineering marvel features 32 steel cables stretching out from a towering bridge deck - like fingers stretching out to support this pedestrian and automobile roadway. ITT's KONI double-acting, twin-tube hydraulic shocks keep the cables from vibrating in strong side winds and heavy rain showers.