Innovative Construction Strategies for Singular Arch Bridges

Abstract

Singular structures require singular and innovative design, construction and supervising methods. The authors present their experiences on two different arch bridges, from the perspective of the construction process. Construction Management on site during construction by means of a team of technicians that can bridge the gap between the Project and the actual necessities during the construction phase, carrying out detailed designs and the supervision of the parameters that are involved in the construction process, such as availability of materials or construction methods, cranes, materials and parameters like deflections, stresses, temperature, inclination and the like.

The uncontrollable factors to deal with during the construction of singular structures such as temperature, wind, erection process, magnitude of the loads require exhaustive controls of all the elements involved in the project. The use of robotic surveying system together with a profuse structural monitoring system can provide the design and construction team a wide range of information about the construction process which can be analyzed in real-time to allow the designer to control the process.

The role of technical offices on site for this kind of projects is a fundamental part of the proper development of the project, requiring professionals with deep understanding of the structural phenomena and on-site experience.