Avaliação experimental de subestruturas de apoio pré-fabricadas de tabuleiros de pontes

Abstract

Industrialization in the bridge construction sector through prefabrication has proven essential for optimizing construction processes, meeting tight deadlines, and improving costs. However, uncertainties remain regarding the structural reliability of prefabricated structures when applied in moderate to high seismic regions, being aggravated by the absence of specific structural provisions in current European design standards. These issues raise questions about the use of such structures in seismic zones, limiting their application and, consequently, the benefits that prefabrication can provide. This work aims to develop solutions for fully prefabricated bridge substructures, with optimized construction arrangements in the column-to-cap-beam connections that are suitable for prefabrication and appropriate for implementation in seismic regions. This paper presents the first results of an experimental campaign conceived to validate the proposed design methodology and demonstrate the feasibility of these solutions.