Skip to main content

ULMA engineering solutions on the emblematic Arch of Innovation bridge, Brazil

The arch of innovation is a cable-stayed bridge that will connect Zarur, São João, and Cassiano Ricardo avenues in São Paulo, Brazil. With a height of 100m, it has become one of the most iconic bridges in the country of its type, given its peculiar arc shape.
June 21, 2020 Read time: 3 mins

 

This bridge will create a safer and faster route for more than 180,000 vehicles/day, which will ease Sao Paulo's traffic. It will also include a bicycle lane of more than 3.6km.

One of the most relevant requirements in this project has been the versatility of the systems and the safety of the operators. To this end, the engineering team developed an integrated solution with the ideal formwork and scaffolding systems and applications for the pylons and the roads that run between them. The Queiroz Galvão construction company has once again trust in ULMA's engineering solutions, as well as in the capacity to respond to a project with stringent execution deadlines.

ULMA pic2The ATR self-climbing system was chosen for the two pylons with variable inclination and four-sided section, in combination with the VMK timber-beam formwork for the outside and the KSP platform for the inside. The self-climbing system has been perfectly adapted to the inclination and elliptical curve of the shaft of up to 23º in the last concreting. The whole set has allowed high execution rates, three-day concreting cycles in 3.6m high sections, without the need for a crane. In addition, it has three levels of working platforms for carrying out work on the formwork, rebar or concrete, as well as for lifting the structure, maintaining strict safety levels at great heights at all times. The platforms were designed in such a way that it was possible to regulate the angle to maintain horizontality as the arch progressed.  Despite the complexity of the geometry, the MK system has solved all the structural requirements.

With regard to productivity, the use of self-climbing formwork halves working times compared to a conventional climbing system in this type of project. This is because the system requires less handling. As the movement is carried out using a hydraulic system, there is minimal use of the crane, which is freed up for other tasks.

The two carriageways rest on an X shape. They were built with ENKOFORM HMK, supported by T-60 shoring towers. A solution of MK gantry formwork was proposed for the rest of the board to avoid closing the tracks.

For the construction of the arch section of the bridge, a supporting structure made of MK and VM beams supported by T-60 shoring systems was constructed. Custom metal profiles bear all the weight of the T-60 shoring system.

To access the different areas of the bridge, BRIO stairs were enabled on each side of the arch and in two separate sections. The first section is 60m-high and rests on the ground. The second section, 40m-high, consists of three independent staircases arranged on BMK consoles on the arch.

Constructor: QUEIROZ GALVÃO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.


Sponsored content produced in association with ULMA Construction

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Versatile concrete pour
    August 18, 2021
    One of Wirtgen’s SP 15i compact concrete slipformers has been used to handle a paving job within confined conditions in Germany
  • Piers completed for Morandi Bridge replacement project
    February 20, 2020
    The last of the 18 elliptical 40m-tall piers have been finished.
  • Bridge surface repair improves safety
    July 9, 2012
    Modern products are making life easier for those who have to look after bridges in need of repair Aproject to repair a bridge in the American state of Tennessee has brought safety benefits and improved the ride quality for drivers using the crossing. The Chickasaw Bridge spans the Ellington Parkway and it has benefited from a rehabilitation job by contractor Jamieson Construction. The roadway on the bridge was in a poor state and required frequent patching, and to tackle the problem, the Tennessee DOT consi
  • Komatsu PC490HRD-11 K100 goes to work
    September 20, 2021
    In June 2021, Komatsu announced a new variant of their PC490HRD-11 high reach demolition machine featuring a brand-new boom connection system. Named “K100”, the new system allows the operator to change the configuration of the machine singlehandedly in only a few minutes, without leaving the comfort of the operator cab. One of the first of these new machines recently went to work in Bradford, UK.