12 Years of Structural Health Assessment and Maintenance for the Glulam Timber Structure of the Mormanno Traffic Bridge in Calabria

Giorgio Bignotti

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.778.771

Paper Titles

Repairing a Medieval Door
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Long Term Monitoring of Timber Bridges - Assessment and Results
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An On-Going Monitoring Project of a New Timber Structure
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The Echo (Jeka) Pavilion in Forest-Park Maksimir Zagreb - Restoration and Health Monitoring
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12 Years of Structural Health Assessment and Maintenance for the Glulam Timber Structure of the Mormanno Traffic Bridge in Calabria
p.771

X-Lam Panels in Swimming-Pool Building – Monitoring the Environment and the Performance
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A Numerical Approach for the Hygro-Thermal Monitoring of Timber Structures under Environmental Conditions
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A Multi Sensor Approach for Prediction of Weathering Effects on Exposed Timber Structures
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Monitoring of Wood Decay by near Infrared Spectroscopy
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HomeAdvanced Materials ResearchAdvanced Materials Research Vol. 77812 Years of Structural Health Assessment and...

12 Years of Structural Health Assessment and Maintenance for the Glulam Timber Structure of the Mormanno Traffic Bridge in Calabria

Abstract:

The Mormanno traffic Bridge, built at the end of the year 2000 in South Italy, with its glulam exposed structure spanning around 70 m, is one of the most impressive traffic timber bridges in the world. The paper illustrates the various analysis executed for the assessment of the health of the structure and for the following maintenance actions during the first twelve years of service of the Bridge (2001-2013). In the year 2004 a first visit for the assessment of the health of the timber bridge was decided. A team of experts inspected the bridge in order to check the conditions of the timber structures and register all the damages produced by weathering, fungi and insects on the structural elements. The experts found the decay still limited but recommended a maintenance action capable to stop the initial degenerative process mainly due to a moisture content higher than normal. In the year 2008 [ a new inspection team visited the bridge for the second time in order to check the effectiveness of the measures of protection adopted four years before. Non-destructive testing were used to investigate the health of the main glulam arches. The decay in the members object of the previous maintenance in general had stopped or slowed down, but in some other parts the moisture content was still higher than acceptable and more protections were added. In the following years the maintenance was completed giving the bridge the possibility to extend its service with a sufficient level of safety. The frequent inspections of the bridge structure provided useful information for the maintenance of the Mormanno bridge but also in general for the design of the durability and for the maintenance planning of exposed timber structures. Fig. 1 the Mormanno Bridge in service