Commercial Port Bridge (Italy)

The bridge connects Mestre to the commercial port of Marghera and has a total length of 387 m in six spans, of varying spans, with the first span straight and the others with a radius of curvature equal to 175 m. The two main spans are cable-stayed, with the stays arranged in a single alignment.
The inclined tower, made of cast-in-place prestressed concrete, is the central design element , both architecturally and structurally, and has a height of 75 m and complex geometry, with the variable triangular section. The structural response is quite articulated, so it was necessary to prepare experimental investigations and long-term monitoring through ambient vibration measurements (AVT). The first measurements, (2006), were used to derive the main dynamic parameters of the bridge. Subsequently, a detailed FEM model of the bridge, calibrated according to the experimental results, was prepared to study possible damage scenarios. Other measurements performed (2010 and 2011). Analysis of these data confirm that the bridge is affected by some long-term effects. Such as a variation in the natural period of vibration of some of the stays, which confirms a variation in the tension of the stays