InternationalConferenceon TimberBridges2010

ICTB2010

Use of composite timber-concrete bridges solutions in Portugal

JooRodrigues/PauloProvidncia/AlfredoDias
13September2010 Lillehammer

Use of composite timber-concrete bridges solutions in Portugal

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Introduction

WorldWidePanorama

PortugueseReality

Conclusions

This work deals with the use of composite timberconcrete structuresinbridgeconstruction

Firstpart
Historicreviewoftheuseofcompositetimberconcretebridgesaroundthe globe Identificationofthereasons,whethereconomic,sociological,political,or environmental,astowhythisstructuralsolutionappearstobemore appealinginsomegeographicalregionsthaninothers

Secondpart
TheuseofthistypeofbridgesinPortugal Possiblereasonsfortheactualstateofaffairs PotentialapplicationsofcompositetimberconcretebridgesinPortugal

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WorldWidePanorama

PortugueseReality

Conclusions

This work exclusively considers composite timberconcrete bridges designed to accountfortheeffectivecompositeofthesetwomaterials As a result, a sample of 59 composite timberconcrete bridges located in different areas of the world was identified. It should be clear that this sample doesnotrepresentthetotalityofcompositetimberconcretebridgesbuiltinthe world Nextpictureshowsthedistributionoftheconstructiondatesof thesebridgesby decade,from1930to2009

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USA
IntheUSAcompositetimberconcretebridgeswerepromotedintheearly 1930sbytheUniversityofWashingtonwitharesearchprogramtoconstruct experimentalbridges,mainlyforeconomicreasons Duringthedecadesfrom19301950compositetimberconcretebridgeswere usedintheUSA

(1936)

Nowadays,compositetimberconcretebridgeconstructionalmostvanished intheUSA

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Introduction

WorldWidePanorama

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AustraliaandNewZealand
InAustralia,compositetimberconcretebridgeshavebeenbuiltsincethe 1950s,improvingthelocallyestablishedtimberconstructionsuseduntilthen ThenewtechnologywasprobablyencouragedandimportedbytheU.S.Army Thisinitialimpetuswasdeepenedbyresearch programsconductedbyforestauthoritiesin AustraliaandNewZealandtopromote compositetimberconcretebridgeconstruction withlocalroundwoodspecies
(1955)

ThereasonsforthesuccessofthistypeofbridgesinAustraliaandNewZealand appearstobearesultof(i)economicmatters,(ii)thetraditionaluseoftimber inconstructionand(iii)thesupportofpublicauthorities

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WorldWidePanorama

PortugueseReality

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Brazil
InBrazilthefirstcompositetimberconcretebridgewasbuiltin1974inSo Paulo,followedbyafewmoreuntil2000 Perhapsencouragedbythesuccessofthisexperience,UniversityofSoPaulo promotedduringlastdecadearesearchprogramontimberbridges,Emerging TimberBridgeProgramofSoPauloState Themaingoalofthisprogramwastodesignbridgeswithacompetitivecost andadurabilitywhichcouldbepositivelycomparedwiththat ofother structuralmaterials Duringthelastdecade,underthisprogram, eightnewcompositetimberconcretebridges wereconstructedforvicinalroads,allofthem designedbytheLaboratoryofTimberand TimberStructuresofUniversityofSoPaulo
(2004)

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WorldWidePanorama

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NorthernEurope
InNorthernEuropecompositetimberconcretebridgeconstructionbegan somedecadesago,anditresultsfromuniversityresearchprogramssupported bythepublicauthorities AgoodstudycaseisTheNordicTimberBridgeProject,whoseobjectivewas toconstructmoretimberbridgesinsteadofsteelandconcretebridgesin NordicEuropeancountries Thisprogrammeservedasthebasisfortheconstructionofawidenumberof timberbridgesinthosecountries.However,onlyinFinlandwasthecomposite timberconcretesystememployed

(1999)

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CentralEurope
InCentralEuropecompositetimberconcretebridgeswereintroducedduring the1990s SwitzerlandpioneeredtheuseofthisstructuralsolutionbutotherCentral Europeancountries,suchasAustria,France,GermanyandLuxembourghave adoptedcompositetimberconcretesystembridges

UnlikewhatoccurredinNordicEurope,inCentralEuropethechoiceofthis compositesystemapparentlydidnotresultfromanyresearchproject Themainreasonfortheadoptionoftimberinbridgeconstructionhavebeen theincreasingawarenessforenvironmentalprotection

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AverybriefhistoryofbridgeconstructioninPortugal
InPortugal,untilthefirsthalfofthe19thcentury,mostbridgeswerebuiltwith timberorstone Then,theincreasedavailabilityofironarrivedtogetherwithnewstructural solutionsforbridges,suchastrussbridgesandsuspensionbridges Concretereinforcedbridgesappearedin1900andconcreteprestressed bridgesonlyin1938 Inthisperiod,thebridgestructuresinPortugaladoptedtheworldwide technologicaladvancesinreinforcedconcreteandsteelsolutions condemningotherstructuralmaterials,suchastimber,tooblivion Morerecently,someothertechniqueswereintroduced,suchascomposite steelconcretebridges

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AverybriefhistoryofbridgeconstructioninPortugal
Regardingcompositetimberconcretebridges,thereisauniqueexamplein Portugal.QuiaiosBridgewasbuiltin2005onaforestroadontheAtlantic coast ofthecountry

Asinothercountries,theQuiaiosBridgeprojectresultedfrom anexchange betweenuniversities(UniversityofCoimbraandPolytechnicInstituteof CasteloBranco),owners(forestryadministration)andlocalauthorities Thisbridgerepresentsafineaesthetic/environmentalsolutionanditscostwas quitecompetitive

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WhyistimberanunpopularbridgeconstructionmaterialinPortugal?
(i) lackoftechnicalknowledgeoncompositetimberconcreteconstruction (ii) dominanceofthetraditionalreinforcedconcrete,usuallyprestressed,and steelsolutions (iii) pervadingmistrustoftimberasabuildingmaterial,basedonitsapparently poordurabilityandqualitycharacteristics Atthepresenttime,civilengineeringcoursesinmostPortugueseuniversities donotincludetimberstructuresanalysis Thisisincompleteoppositiontothestatusofthetwodominantsubjectsinthe fieldofstructuraldesign,whicharereinforcedconcreteand steelstructures Thisfactleadstoaneffectivelackoftechnicalknowledgeoncomposite timberconcreteconstructionofthemajorityofPortuguesecivilandstructural engineersandtoaresistancesharedbymostconstructionagents

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WhyistimberanunpopularbridgeconstructionmaterialinPortugal?
ThefirstPortugueseRegulationonReinforcedConcretewaspublishedin1918. ButPortugueseengineershadtowaitforalmostonecenturytohavetheirfirst Portuguese standardonthestructuraluseoftimber Eurocode5 Asaprimaryconsequenceofthislackofstandardsontimberstructures,design aspectswereneglected Furthermore,duringthelastcenturythesaferartisanaltimber construction techniquesfellprogressivelyintooblivion Thisledtounsafeandlowdurabilitytimberstructures,withshortservicelife andmalfunctions,whichinturnoriginatedstrongpresentdaydistrustofthe useoftimberasastructuralmaterial Andhinderedthedevelopmentofcompaniesandeconomicactivitiesinany wayrelatedtotimberortimberconcretestructures

Use of composite timber-concrete bridges solutions in Portugal

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Introduction

WorldWidePanorama

PortugueseReality

Conclusions

WhyistimberanunpopularbridgeconstructionmaterialinPortugal?
Whentheuniversitiessensedthattheneednolongerexisted,theydecidedto ignorethisfieldofengineering,thusperpetuatingthepresentcombinationof (ii) thedominanceofthetraditionalreinforcedconcrete,usuallyprestressed, circumstances,andcontributingtotheignoranceabouttimber asstructural andsteelsolutions material Tochangethesituation,theuniversitiesandresearchinstitutesshould establishprogramstoimprovetheknowledgeontimberstructuresandon compositetimberconcretesystems Thiscouldbethefirststepinprovidingfuturecivilengineerswiththe knowledgeonhowtodesigncompositetimberconcretesystemsandtoallow themtorightlycomparethistypeofsolutionwiththemoretraditional ones Thenextstepwouldbethedevelopmentandimplementationofasystem whichenablesthespreadofknowledgeondesign,construction,monitoring andmaintenanceofcompositetimberconcretebridges

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PotentialapplicationsofcompositetimberconcretebridgesinPortugal
InPortugalthereisaninterestingmarketforcompositetimberconcrete bridges,particularlyforshortspans

Forestroads
Forestroadsaretheprimaryexample,becausePortugalasgota large percentageofforestarea,approximately38%oftheterritory AccordingtoPortugueseForestAuthoritiesthatmanageforestroadsnetwork therearethousandsofbridgesrequiringurgentrehabilitation Moreover,theseauthoritiesarepotentiallyattractedbyenvironmentally friendlysolutionswhichmightincorporateforestproducedresources Suchrequirementsarefulfilledbycompositetimberconcretebridges

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PotentialapplicationsofcompositetimberconcretebridgesinPortugal
Railwaynetwork
Anotherpossibilitytointroducecompositetimberconcretebridgesonalarger scaleinPortugalaretheoverpassescrossingoverrailways ThefirstPortuguesehighspeedrailline,betweenLisbonandMadrid,whose constructionisabouttobeinitiated,requires81overpasses.Moreover,the improvementofthenormalspeedrailnetworkalsorequirestheconstruction ofnewoverpasses

Roadnetwork
Anothercommonuseofcompositetimberconcretebridgesareoverpasses crossingoverroads AccordingtothePortugueseroadauthority,thereisahugenumberofsmall spanbridgesurgentlyrequiringintervention Compositetimberconcretebridgesareagoodoptionforsecondaryroads, wheretheycouldbeusedinstandardsolutionsforshortspans

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Introduction

WorldWidePanorama

PortugueseReality

Conclusions

Duringthelasttwentyyearstheincreaseinthenumberofcomposite timberconcretesolutionsappliedtobridgeconstructionhasbeenobservedin differentregionsoftheglobe,namelyinEurope Meanwhileinsomeregionsorcountries,suchasPortugal,thecaseistotally opposite.NowadaysthereisagenerallackofinterestinPortugalfortimber bridgesandparticularlyforcompositetimberconcretebridges

HowevertheconstructionofPavilhoAtlntico, alargeindoorarenawitha glulamroofgrid,builtpurposelyforthe1998LisbonWorldExposition,appearsto beassociatedwiththerebirthofstructuralengineeringincorporatingtimber inPortugal

ThefirstcompositetimberconcretebridgeinPortugalwasbuiltin2005.In Portugal, bridges in forest and rural zones and overpasses crossing over roads and railwayalsopresentasignificantpotentialforcompositetimberconcrete solutions ThisleadsustobelieveinafuturedevelopmentinPortugalofacomposite timberconcretebridgeindustry,whichwillcomeintobeingsoonerifthereisa higherinvolvementofresearchcentres,universitiesandpublicauthorities

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