Análise de desempenho das intervenções de alargamento e reforço de pontes rodoviárias de concreto armado em obras de duplicação de rodovias

Abstract

Currently there is a growing demand for widening and strengthening of reinforced concrete highway bridges. In addition of presenting structural problems (either due to the deterioration of the structure as well as the obsolescence in terms of live loads required by the current design codes), these bridges have also become in many cases logistical "bottlenecks", due to their insufficient cross sections for the current traffic demand. This work proposes a performance evaluation of the widening and strengthening interventions employed in bridges that were rehabilitated to meet the new requirements of Brazilian highway system. The study includes comparing their performance with the respective new bridges built next to them, which received the new lane. This comparison is adequate, considering that, both bridges are inserted in the same microclimate, are subjected to the same traffic characteristics and have compatible spans and structural systems. Five pairs of bridges were chosen for this study, whose works have been completed in the interval of 5 to 15 years. The bridges were evaluated through in-situ inspections according to criteria established by current regulations. The investigation shows the importance of an effective drainage system and the maintenance activities for the durability of reinforced concrete highway bridges. The results obtained allow us to know the effectiveness of the widening and strengthening interventions carried out, from the point of view of durability, contributing to the improvement of future rehabilitation design for reinforced concrete highway bridges