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Bridge Erection Techniques and Construction Equipment: Introduction

Article  in  Structural Engineering International · November 2011

DOI: 10.1080/10168664.2011.11985185

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Guido Morgenthal Marco Rosignoli

Bauhaus Universität Weimar BridgeTech
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 Bridge Erection Techniques and Construction Equipment:
Introduction

The technical feasibility and economic viability of building
bridges depends heavily on the construction methods available.
Over the years, the development of erection techniques and
specialised construction equipment has pushed the boundar-
ies of bridge construction ever further. Advanced technologies
together with strong competition in the marketplace have led
to the development of numerous innovative erection solutions.
Bridge construction is also a very visible affair, such that com-
plex construction techniques like heavy lifting and sliding can
increase the public awareness on engineering achievements
and raise the profile of our profession along the way.
The development of an erection scheme is a challenging opti-
misation task with many constraints and the target of mini-
mising cost whilst ensuring safety and reliability. Designing
the related specialised erection equipment is a multi-disciplin-
ary task at the interface between structural, mechanical and
electrical engineering, whereby the equipment has to satisfy
numerous requirements and usually be tailor-made or highly
adaptable. Safety is paramount and affects design, operation
and maintenance. Available design guidance is limited and
fragmented, owing to the aforementioned complexities and
the pace of development in this area.
The idea for this paper series originated from the work
done in IABSE Working Group 6: Bridge Construction
Equipment. The aim of this series is to provide an overview
of the state-of-the-art in bridge construction and introduce
recent advances in this field. It is hoped that it will dissemi-
nate knowledge and inspire structural engineers to think out-
side of standard construction solutions, paving the way to yet
more challenging bridge structures and optimising their cost
for the public.
Guido Morgenthal, Prof. Dr., SEI Editorial Board Member,
Germany and
Marco Rosignoli, Dr., Chair, Working Group 6 (Bridge Con-
struction Equipment), USA

Industrialized Construction of Large-Scale High Speed

Railway Projects: The Modena Bridges in Italy
Marco Rosignoli, Dr, Ing., PE, Principal Bridge Engineer, HNTB Corp., Lake Mary, FL, USA. Contact: mrosignoli@hntb.com
DOI: 10.2749/101686611X13131377725244

Abstract between Milan and Naples to the con-

cessionaire TAV. Within this program,
Construction of the 24,8 km Modena Viaducts, which form part of the Milan– TAV assigned the design and construc-
Naples High Speed Railway Project in Italy, required full-span precasting of 755 tion of the 182 km section between
simply supported spans and in-place casting of 9 three-span continuous bridges Milan and Bologna to a consortium.
in only 30 months under global warranty on time, costs, and quality. In this paper,
details are given on how such a record-breaking goal has been met. The 4,89 billion Euro lump-sum con-
Custom-designed special construction equipment was used for most of the proj- tract included global warranty on time,
ect. Defining the QA/QC qualifications for design, fabrication, and site oper- cost, and quality from the consortium.
ations of equipment took almost 1 year. Analysis of methods, risks, and their The work was divided into 19 lots
mitigations was performed for every major activity. Contingency plans were (13 lots of civil works, 3 lots of rail-
identified and also prequalified. way plants, and 3 lots of technological
Performance requirements, technical specifications, and design criteria were plants). Subconsortium was assigned
identified for special equipment. Equipment design was subjected to full inde- the 39,5 km civil work lot from 142 +
pendent checking. Fabrication of equipment—traceability of materials welding, 685 to 182 + 148 km, the 8,0 km dupli-
dimensional control, systems and plants, controls, site assembly, and load test- cation of the Modena–Mantova line
ing—and site operations were also ruled by specific QA/QC procedures. and the new stations of Modena and
Soliera.
Keywords: full-span precasting; mechanized bridge construction; wheeled span
carriers; moveable scaffolding systems. This contract included the 24,8 km
Modena Viaducts, the 9,2 km bridges
of the Modena East and Lavino
Peer-reviewed by international ex- Introduction Interconnections, additional 1,8 km
perts and accepted for publication
by SEI Editorial Board In the year 1991 the Italian railway of bridges crossing four rivers and six
authority assigned the design and con- railroads, 0,4 km of cut-and-cover tun-
Paper received: November 26, 2010 struction of infrastructures and plants nels and tens of box-culverts. Tasks also
Paper accepted: April 28, 2011 for the Italian High Speed Railway included 25,0 km of railway embankment

392 Scientific Paper Structural Engineering International 4/2011

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