IEME and LAEDE played a key role in the execution of this engineering project, carried out by the construction company Álya. IEME was responsible for preparing all the track designs, including a complete study of the vibration attenuation system (mass-spring). LAEDE, in turn, was responsible for conducting the field and laboratory tests required for the permanent way’s approval.
The 23rd edition of NT-Expo – Forging the Future of Railways, held this year in the Anhembi District of São Paulo, began this Tuesday, the 22nd. Recognized as one of the main events in the sector in South America, the fair arrives at a time marked by the appreciation of the railway model, both for urban mobility and for freight transportation.
According to the National Association of Railway Transporters, ANTF, the sector received investments in the order of 14 billion reais in 2024 and expects an additional 54 billion reais in the next three years.
IEME Brasil and LAEDE, companies that have metro-rail engineering in their DNA, are present at NT-Expo (stand A061) to share the news and welcome customers, partners and friends.
Come visit us.
The 23rd NT-Expo will continue until Thursday, 24/04.
Knowing the real dynamic properties of a structure, natural frequencies and vibration modes is essential to ensure comfort and safety for users, as well as predictability for maintenance of public equipment. With this objective in mind, two pedestrian footbridges on the São Paulo subway were monitored by IEME Brasil last March, which used Vibrodina, a mechanical device that makes the structure vibrate at a specific frequency range, in the dynamic forced vibration test.
“The precise determination of the structure’s natural frequency is extremely important for validating theoretical models and ensuring that it does not coincide with the excitation frequencies generated by pedestrian traffic. Avoiding resonance is essential to ensure user comfort and the structural integrity of the footbridge,” explains engineer Marco Juliani, director of IEME.
The footbridges are located at the Santo Amaro station of the São Paulo subway, which is shared by subway lines 5-Lilás (ViaMobilidade) and 9-Esmeralda, of CPTM. They are 111m long and 7.4m wide and are formed by a metal lattice structure with tubular profiles and a steel deck slab. The central span, which crosses the Pinheiros River, is approximately 80m long. The work is the responsibility of EGTC Infra.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
IEME Brazil and LAEDE participated in the Quality Conference – From Compliance to Performance, an event held by ACCIONA, on Tuesday, November 19. The Spanish company is building Line 6 – Orange of the São Paulo subway, a 15.3 km project that will connect the current São Joaquim station, in the central neighborhood of Liberdade, to Pátio Morro Grande, in the northern part of São Paulo.
Line 6 is considered the largest infrastructure project currently under construction in South America and one of the main subway projects in the region. At the event, aimed at ACCIONA employees, Lucas Juliani, coordinator of LAEDE, gave a presentation about the company and explained some of the quality controls performed in the laboratory, which has among its main focuses precisely the safety and durability of subway systems.
Line 6 itself has had services performed by LAEDE. Recently, components of the superstructure of the permanent way (mass-spring system, sleepers, rail fastening, rail welds, among others) were tested.
Learn more about LAEDE
Have you ever wondered how materials cope with wear and tear over time? Fatigue testing simulates real conditions, subjecting materials to repeated load cycles, such as those that occur in components and structures on a daily basis. This test is essential for verifying resistance and durability in real situations.
During the process, a sample is subjected to periodic loads in specific machines, allowing the number of cycles until failure occurs to be measured. This data shows how the material behaves under continuous stress.
With this test, it is possible to predict the useful life of the material and detect possible points of failure, helping to optimize projects and reduce maintenance costs.
In the video, LAEDE performs a fatigue test on a fastening system on a concrete slab. Our laboratory is accredited by Cgcre according to ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17025.
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