• Ferraz, Miguel
• Figueiras, J.
• Faria, Rui

Abstract

The objective of this work is to present all the phases of a process that lead to the development of object oriented software for structural analysis of bridges. The objectives and motivation for the process are presented, as well as the Object Oriented Programming paradigm and the platform concept. The structural analysis model was developed to perform 3D analyses of evolutive structures, from the building phase up to the final application, using a discretization with FE based on the Timoshenko beam formulation. The model allows for changes of the static system to be made over time, incorporating specific FE for the discretization of rebars, prestress (both embedded and exterior) and stay cables, different types of external links (including sliding and unidirectional supports), time dependent material behavior laws (such as concrete ageing, shrinkage and creep, as well as prestress relaxation) and other nonlinear constitutive laws (such as the elastoplastic behavior of steel and the concrete cracking). The model includes incremental and iterative tools to solve the nonlinear problem involved, and it was validated by carrying out a structural analysis of the Corujeira Viaduct in Oporto, during the construction phase, load tests, future behavior and maintenance operations. The measurements made by the permanent monitoring system installed in the viaduct were compared with the predictions from the numerical model throughout all the aforementioned phases.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• phase
• steel
• aging
• creep