LAEDE, a laboratory for static and dynamic mechanical testing of materials and structural components, which is part of IEME Brasil, begins 2025 strengthened by the modernization process of its facilities and the acquisition of new equipment. The laboratory now has a new hydraulic unit and a new controller for hydraulic actuators, which together increase the company’s efficiency and service capacity.

“The hydraulic unit increases the laboratory’s capacity to perform more simultaneous tests, offering a time saving in these services. With the new controller, the laboratory is now able to control more hydraulic actuators simultaneously, in addition to modernizing the precision of the tests”, explains Lucas Juliani, director of LAEDE. In addition, the new hydraulic unit is more modern from an environmental point of view, providing energy savings of around 30% for its operation.

The equipment particularly benefits the performance of material fatigue tests, which can be performed with greater quality, accuracy and speed. “With this equipment and the ongoing modernization of the laboratory, LAEDE, which has Inmetro accreditation, the only one in Brazil for various tests on metro-rail components, will double its capacity to perform tests, being able to serve its customers much more quickly,” says Marco Juliani, director of IEME.

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On February 13, MorumBIS hosted none other than Shakira, performing the second show of her world tour “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran”. The Colombian singer returned after seven years for a show full of classics from her career, sung in unison by almost 80 thousand people.

Shakira, with 35 years of experience, has already won 266 awards and had 590 nominations, including 3 Grammy Awards and 12 Latin Grammy Awards, making her the most awarded female Latin artist of all time.

As we know, excessive vibration from the audience in the stands poses safety risks if it exceeds the limits allowed by technical standards, and can cause panic, accidents and even structural collapse. Therefore, regular monitoring of structures is essential, as is the case with São Paulo Futebol Clube (SPFC), when looking after the well-being of its stadium users and its assets.

At Shakira’s concert, as well as at other events of this size, the IEME Brasil team was present to measure the behavior of the structure, using sensors and evaluating the effects of dynamic loads generated by the public. This type of monitoring ensures not only the integrity of the construction, but also the safety and comfort of spectators.

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After two years as an Accredited Inspection Body (OIA), IEME Brazil has just undergone a supervisory assessment that resulted in a recommendation to maintain INMETRO Accreditation, which enables the company to certify engineering projects and works prepared by public works concessionaires. It is worth remembering that project inspection is a mandatory contractual requirement for public works concessionaires.

INMETRO Accreditation is one of the service fronts of IEME Brazil, a company with over 35 years of experience in the areas of Engineering Projects (metro-rail systems, bridges, dams, stadiums and structures in general), Urban Development (land regularization, urbanization of settlements, accessibility and social work) and Laboratory Tests (LAEDE) focused on metro-railways, civil structures and shock absorbing systems, elastomers, vibration, noise and construction materials.

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Government of the State of São Paulo / Gilberto Marques / Creative Commons

Government of the State of São Paulo / Gilberto Marques / Creative Commons

 

 

On November 29, in Brasília, BNDES announced a financial contribution of R$10.65 billion for infrastructure projects in São Paulo. The resources, which are part of the New PAC (Growth Acceleration Program), will be allocated to expansion projects for the São Paulo subway, a road complex, a modern rail link between the city of São Paulo and Campinas (about 100 km away), and the purchase of 1,300 electric buses.

Infrastructure projects and projects, especially in the road and metro-rail areas, are the main activity of IEME Brasil, which has been working for over 35 years with instrumentation and monitoring of roads, data processing and analysis for engineering reports, various tests, and accredited inspection (by INMETRO) of road and rail projects and projects. In addition, it has LAEDE, a laboratory that has Cgcre accreditation (ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17025) and is part of the Brazilian Network of Testing Laboratories (RBLE).

Due to investments in infrastructure, which are already reflecting an increase in demand, LAEDE recently acquired new equipment (hydraulic pumps and controllers) for testing metro-rail components and systems. The hydraulic pump, for example, is a state-of-the-art piece of equipment, capable of saving up to 20% of energy, and is the first of its kind to be installed in Brazil.

The investments ratify IEME’s commitment to the quality and safety of the projects and works in which it participates, remembering that the company is present on all São Paulo subway lines and in the structural tests of Rodoanel Norte, to name a few examples. The company also carries out a series of works focused on land regularization and social housing.

The Tamoios Bypass is a milestone in the infrastructure of the North Coast of São Paulo, reducing travel time between Caraguatatuba and São Sebastião from 45 to just 16 minutes. Comprising modern lanes, six tunnels and state-of-the-art infrastructure, the project will boost mobility, tourism and commerce in the region, providing a direct connection to the Port of São Sebastião.

Based on INMETRO Ordinance No. 367, IEME Brasil carried out accredited inspections on the project projects, certifying the quality and safety of the electrical, automation, fire-fighting, ventilation and structural systems of the project.

Our work guarantees the technical excellence of this essential project for the region.

During the construction of Line 5 of the São Paulo Metro, we had the privilege of carrying out an impressive test at LAEDE on a full-size prototype of the permanent track of this line. This slab, 14 meters long and weighing a surprising 40 tons, was built inside our laboratory for a unique experiment.

The video below shows the moment when the prototype passes through the natural frequency and enters resonance when subjected to Vibrodina. It is surprising that a slab with such dimensions and weight can move in such a way.

The objective of the test was to confirm the efficiency of the vibration attenuation system to mitigate the impacts produced by the passage of trains on the magnetic resonance equipment of the Hospital São Paulo, located very close to the track.

This world-first system was conceived and designed by IEME Brazil with devices custom-made by Vibtech.

This is yet another example of IEME and LAEDE’s commitment to technological innovation and engineering excellence. This is how we transform challenges into high-impact solutions for Brazil and the world!

The “New King of Pop”, nickname given to the American singer and multi-instrumentalist Bruno Mars, lives up to his title. During the six shows he gave in São Paulo, from October 4 to 13, the star gathered a true legion of fans at MorumBIS. Approximately 409 thousand tickets were sold for the São Paulo tour, 15% of which were for tourists from other cities, according to SPTuris, the city’s events and tourism company.

As always happens on these occasions, a team from IEME Brasil was present at the São Paulo Futebol Clube (SPFC) stadium to monitor the structural behavior of the stands. The monitoring included sensors to measure the acceleration of the structure, subjected to dynamic loads, such as those generated by the public at artistic and sporting events.

It is worth remembering that the excitement of the audience generates vibrations in the structure that can exceed the limits allowed by technical standards and cause panic, accidents and even structural collapse. Regular monitoring, as carried out by SPFC, ensures the safety and comfort of users.

As a matter of interest, Bruno Mars has already won 15 Grammy Awards, including three in the “Record of the Year” category, in addition to dozens of other important awards since the beginning of his career in 2010, with the release of the album Doo-Wops & Hooligans.

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The Rio Negro Bridge, as the Jornalista Phelippe Daou Bridge is known, connecting Manaus to the city of Iranduba, in the state of Amazonas, is considered a landmark of Brazilian engineering. It is the largest cable-stayed bridge in Brazil, with a total length of 3.6 km, and was inaugurated in 2011.

IEME Brasil performed dynamic tests on the cable-stayed section (400 m), an essential measurement to evaluate the structure and ensure its safety and durability.

In the video by Caio Becocci Pugliese, a panoramic flight over this iconic structure of our engineering.

Watch the video

A team from IEME Brazil was present at the São Paulo Futebol Clube stadium on Saturday, September 7, to monitor the structural behavior of the stands during the concert by Canadian singer The Weeknd.

As is regularly done at events at MorumBIS, the monitoring work included sensors to measure the deformation of the structure, subjected to dynamic loads, such as those generated by the public at artistic and sporting events. The measurement is important because the excitement of the audience generates vibrations in the structure that can exceed the limits permitted by technical standards and cause panic, accidents and even structural collapse. Regular monitoring, as is done by SPFC, allows the adoption of preventive measures that guarantee the safety and comfort of users.

Due to the periodic monitoring of the structure, the excitement was only due to the show, which ended the trilogy that began with After Hours (2020) and continued with Dawn FM (2022), at the same time that the singer gave a small sample of “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, his new album. The show ended with a pyrotechnic show on the huge stage set up on the track and drones forming the name of the artist’s new work, which drove the audience wild.

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IEME Brasil held on April 13th, in the Address Hotel convention room, in São Paulo, a meeting of the company’s key employees to align procedures, in accordance with the standards required by the certifications obtained by IEME. The objective of the meeting was to raise awareness among leaders about the need to meet the requirements of the Integrated Management System (ISO 9001, ISO 17020 and ISO 17025), as a way of improving the internal flows of the organization’s management processes, interconnecting the company’s areas based on the quality manuals, procedures, instructions and forms already defined. The meeting dealt with the Certifications of Consulting Engineering and Urban Development (ISO 9001), Accredited Infrastructure Inspection (ISO 17020) and LAEDE (ISO 17025).

The meeting was led by engineer and consultant Octavio Camerini, who has been a specialist in railway engineering (rolling stock) and quality auditing (automotive) for 38 years, having coordinated one of the first ISO 9001 certifications in Brazil. Camerini is also an accredited inspection manager (ISO IEC 17020 standard) for highway and railway projects and a member of the Brazilian Association of Railway Preservation (ABPF). The engineer explained that the meeting meets the obligation for continuous recycling of leaders and employees in the Certified and Accredited Quality Management System.

“The meeting was very participatory and the next steps involve specific meetings with managers and their teams, where the electronic path of the Management System documents will be presented, aiming to better disseminate knowledge of the procedures and their records”, said Camerini. These documents, added the expert, “must be carefully analyzed by the areas, to adapt to the needs and reality of the practices adopted, but complying with the requirements of the standards involved, which represent technical and administrative contractual requirements between IEME, its customers, its suppliers and Inmetro”.

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Photos: IEME

Photos: IEME

Photos: IEME

Photos: IEME

 

 

Safety and optimization of preventive maintenance are priorities for IEME Brasil and LAEDE when it comes to evaluating their customers’ metro rail systems. To achieve this, the company relies on cutting-edge technologies and methodologies, the result of exchanges and monitoring of studies in some of the most advanced technological centers on the subject. One of the resources adopted by IEME for this purpose is the instrumented wheelset calibrator, studied in Italy by the Università degli Studi di Firenze, Sapienza in Rome and the Polytechnic of Milan, institutions visited by the company.

But what is the instrumented wheelset calibrator?

“The calibrator is a bench designed to apply existing loads on the permanent track onto an instrumented wheel set with the aim of correlating wheel-rail contact forces and deformations. To this end, electrical resistance strain gauges, hydraulic jacks, actuators and various load cells are used, in addition to a structure capable of supporting such loads”, explains engineer Tiago Juliani, Engineering coordinator at IEME Brasil.

There is a variety of information obtained by the calibrated instrumented wheelset. With the passage of the instrumented wheelset, the wheel-rail contact forces and the L/V relationship (lateral force / vertical force of the wheel) are obtained along the entire path of the train, which may indicate problems both on the permanent track as well as in the rolling stock, such as geometric imperfections in the track, welding defects, failures in railway components, poor maintenance of tracks and wheels, among others. Furthermore, the operational risk of the line is assessed with the L/V ratio.

Therefore, the calibrator is adopted whenever a new measurement campaign is carried out with the instrumented wheelset and, if the same previously instrumented wheelset is used, there has been a certain mileage between one campaign and another.

The National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro) has just concluded its annual audit and revalidated the status of IEME Brasil Accredited Inspection Body (OIA), obtained at the beginning of 2023 and now renewed. The revalidation ensures IEME’s compliance with the requirements of the International Accredited Inspection Standard ISO 17020, ordinances from Inmetro and inspection agencies (such as ANTT and Artesp), Inmetro procedures and technical standards applicable to road infrastructure projects. Accreditation is based on a double audit system: an auditor independent of the organization and Inmetro itself.

According to railway and automotive engineer Octavio Camerini, management systems auditor for over 25 years and advisor to the company in the technical revalidation process, the accreditation was confirmed for the scope of inspection of highway and railway projects and works, without the need for authorization from Inmetro to issue inspection certificates. “For the scope of inspection of highway and railway works, it is necessary to involve Inmetro for sample technical monitoring of initial inspections, before issuing the respective certificates, which is part of the normal accreditation process”, he explained. According to him, Inmetro praised IEME’s technical and administrative competence in the accredited inspection of infrastructure projects and made few recommendations for improvement, focused on the management system.

For the specialist, this official and international recognition demonstrates that “IEME follows the most demanding and contemporary requirements of technical and administrative competence for Inspection Bodies of Projects and Works of Highways and Railways, guaranteeing the technical conformity of the project or infrastructure work , its budget forecast and its schedule”.

The most developed countries in the world have already been working with Accredited Inspection for 10 years, guaranteeing the impartial evaluation of the project or work and contributing to the agility and compliance of the implementation of mobility infrastructure in the country. The accreditation obtained by IEME recognizes not only the implementation of ISO 17020 and Inmetro requirements, but also the concessionaires’ procedures, which are gradually demanding compliance with acceptable standards of corporate governance (transparency and anti-corruption practices), social responsibility (inclusiveness) and environmental responsibility (prevention of environmental impacts of the project and infrastructure work).

Red Hot Chili Peppers, an American rock band, performed on 10/11 a show at the Morumbi stadium, part of their world tour “Global Stadium Tour”. The historic performance featured the return of guitarist John Frusciante, a classic member who returned to play with the band in 2019, after 10 years in other projects.

IEME Brasil monitored the stadium during the show, using sensors to measure the deformation of the structure, subjected to dynamic loads, such as those generated by the public at music shows or football matches.

São Paulo Futebol Clube (SPFC) and IEME Brasil have a long partnership in monitoring the Cícero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium. The monitoring provides important information about the structure and guarantees the safety and comfort of users, such as those who attended the show on 10/11 and other artistic and sporting events.

It is worth remembering that public agitation generates vibrations in the structure that can exceed the limits allowed in technical standards and generate panic, accidents and even structural collapse. The objective of regular monitoring is to avoid these situations with preventive measures and also to monitor the structure’s behavior in real time.

Monitoring also helps SPFC to optimize the necessary maintenance of the stadium, avoiding greater expenses with possible structural restoration works.

Congratulations to the SPFC Board of Directors, who through their care and responsibility ensure that their events take place safely.

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São Paulo and Flamengo played the grand final of the Copa do Brasil 2023 on September 24, a game that gave Tricolor its first title in this competition. In addition to the unprecedented achievement, SPFC once again broke its attendance record this season: no less than 63,077 fans cheered (but cheered a lot!) with Rodrigo Nestor’s goal, which tied the game and brought the cup to the team from São Paulo.

To guarantee the joy (and safety) of thousands of São Paulo residents, IEME Brasil and LAEDE were there in Morumbi, monitoring the stadium. Sensors were installed to measure the vibrations caused by the fans’ actions in the stands.

SPFC, always concerned with ensuring the safety and comfort of its audience, once again hired IEME Brasil to monitor the stadium’s structure. Congratulations to the club’s Board of Directors for their care and responsibility.

It is worth remembering: stadiums that are constantly monitored and receive regular maintenance, such as Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, are very safe.

Read more about the topic on the IEME website.

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The city of São Paulo is literally under construction. Through the Municipal Department of Urban Infrastructure (Siurb), the City of São Paulo carries out the largest program for the recovery and maintenance of bridges and viaducts in the history of the city. In 2023 alone, the interventions have an approved contribution of 650 million reais and the expectation is to complete 300 works by the end of 2024. This volume is unprecedented in the city and is part of the Special Works of Art Maintenance Management Program ( OAE), created in 2018.

IEME Brasil

IEME Brasil has participated in the program since 2020, providing inspection, testing and structural analysis services. The contract covers the Domingos de Moraes, João Beiçola, Olavo Fontoura, 31 de Março, Carlos de Campos and Orlando Murgel viaducts, as well as the Anhembi, Estaiada Governador Orestes Quercia, Arujá, Senador José Ermírio de Moraes and Aurélio Batista Road Complex bridges.

A significant portion of these OAEs, identified as priorities, are currently undergoing rehabilitation and IEME remains involved with some of them, which demonstrated the need for reinforcements and more in-depth studies, with a view to adapting structures to increased traffic or due to problems of maintenance. Complementary reinforcement projects are currently under development and will be made available to the City Hall in the coming weeks.

Recently, IEME Brasil signed a new contract with Siurb, in a consortium with Alphageos, to carry out a series of special inspections, tests and structural verifications. Among the structures to be examined are the Milton Leão, Júlio de Mesquita Filho 2, Itinguçu, Pedroso (Bispo Tid Hernandes), Mie Ken, Shuei Uetsuka and Jaceguai viaducts.

Photo: IEME Brasil / Filipe Viveiros
Governador Orestes Quércia cable-stayed bridge , São Paulo, in June 2021, during inspection service, with one of its lanes interdicted for the safety of technicians

About the Program

São Paulo has hundreds of bridges, viaducts and footbridges, most of them under the responsibility of the City Hall, which is responsible for maintaining and conserving them. With the aim of establishing a permanent culture of routine inspections and preventive maintenance, promoting integrity and extending the useful life of structures, Siurb published Ordinance No. 40/2018, creating the Special Works of Art Maintenance Management Group.

Linked directly to the Secretary’s Office, the Group is responsible for establishing a program of routine and periodic inspections to subsidize the planning, design and actions of repairs, renovations and reinforcements of the OAE, and must verify, among other pertinent aspects, the situation pavement, sidewalk, vegetation, infiltrations, overhaul of structures (infra, meso and superstructure), undermining, support equipment, expansion joints, guardrails, drainage and cleaning.

Thus began the Maintenance Management Program for Special Engineering Works in the City of São Paulo, which follows the guidelines of the ABNT NBR 9452 standard, with annual visual inspections, special inspections every five or eight years and emergency inspections. if there is an emergency demand. The program allows available resources to be used more efficiently, hierarchizing and prioritizing maintenance needs.

Learn more at: https://www.capital.sp.gov.br/noticia/prefeitura-investe-r-650-milhoes-em-2023-no-maior-programa-de-recuperacao-e-manutencao-de-pontes-e-viadutos-da-historia

Accessibility for people with special needs (public and employees), as well as meeting the basic needs of comfort and safety of employees (in compliance with the NR-24 standard), is one of the focuses of an important contract between IEME Brasil and CPTM (Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos) for the refurbishment of 11 of the company’s stations.

Initiated in April 2018, the contract for specialized engineering and architecture technical services aims at the elaboration of the executive project for the adaptation of the stations and complete renovations, which include electrical, hydraulic and systems installations, intended to comply with the Fire Department Inspection Report (AVCB).

The work covers the following stations: Mooca, Ipiranga, São Caetano, Utinga, Prefeito Saladino, Santo André, Capuava, Mauá, Guapituba, Ribeirão Pires and Rio Grande da Serra.

So far, the complete executive projects for the renovation and adaptation of Capuava, Prefeito Saladino, São Caetano and Utinga stations have been completed, which have already been tendered and built. Tenders for the construction of the Santo André and Mauá stations are in progress. The executive projects for the other stations had different stages of development, but were interrupted by the client’s decision.

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