Back in the 50s, who could imagine the amount of people and volume of cars that would reach the turn of the century. At the time, civil construction began to project great works, supported by the technical capacity of national engineering and the advances made. Bridges made of reinforced concrete, viaducts, football stadiums and skyscrapers began to emerge in large urban centers, demonstrating that the country had technology comparable to that of European countries.

Designed to span the twentieth century, many begin to present problems in their structures, currently subject to vehicle loads and traffic that could hardly be predicted for more than 40 years. In the case of the stadiums, none of them were designed for the presentation of musical shows, which transmit rhythmic impact during a long time, shaking their set. Add to this the absence of maintenance, especially of bridges and viaducts, most of them only receiving a painting from time to time, to the impression that they are taken care of. Just remember the recent case of Ponte dos Remédios to get an idea of the rest.

Accompanying the most frequent problems in national works, the ETEP Group, through IEME Brazil, signed an agreement with the Sperimentale Modelli and Strutture Institute of Italy to apply in Brazil its structure dynamics technology, developed since 1947.

“Through an equipment called Vibrodina, it simulates vibrations transmitted to the structure of the work. The effects are recorded by a sensor network that sends the signals to a system called ISA – Ismes Signal Analysis”, explains Liana Becocci, engineer in charge of IEME. The received records become technical information that will serve as analysis and proposal of solution.

One of the places where the simulator allowed an innovative solution was at the Cícero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium, Morumbi, which had been experiencing vibration problems in the stands. The dynamic test performed by Vibrodina led to the installation of a set of springs and shock absorbers that relieve the impact, avoiding the compromise of the structure. Apart from cost reduction, the solution prevented reinforcement works from damaging the original stadium project. The same technology has been proposed in the Parque Antártica Stadium. The IEME services have been requested to analyze several bridges, including the one that passes over the Guandu River, on the Presidente Dutra highway. In it, the technology allowed a saving of 51% in recovery works and showed that the bridge is able to adapt to the requirements of the current norms. The technology can be applied in works and buildings of any size, and often the simple monitoring leads to the solution of the problem.

“At the moment, several industries have consulted to verify the vibration that can be applied in their installations”, says Liana. In addition to direct clients, IEME provides services to project companies that use the tests produced by the equipment to propose new solutions to their customers. customers.

Marilda Rodella
REVISTA OESP – Construction – Sep/Oct. – 1998 – nº19