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.

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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

 

 

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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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 regular 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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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.

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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Technicians from IEME Brasil and LAEDE are in the field to carry out detailed inspection services in 16 special works of art (bridges or viaducts) and 7 tunnels of the Structural Integrity Management subordinated to the Directorate of Base Metals Atlântico Sul, of Vale, in Parauapebas (PA). The OAE and tunnels are located in the territories of Mineração Onça Puma, Mina do Salobo, Mina do Sossego and Porto São Luiz, in the States of Pará and Maranhão.

The contract began in August 2022 and is expected to end in September 2024. IEME estimates that approximately 30% of the service has already been completed.

Detailed inspection services for OAE and tunnels follow ABNT NBR 9452 – Inspection of Bridges, Viaducts, Concrete Walkways – Procedures and include the following tests:

• Verification of corrosion potential
• Checking the electrical resistivity of concrete
• Sclerometry (NBR-7584) – By tested area
• Chloride ion content
• Sulphate content
• RAA (Alkali Aggregate Reaction)
• Weld penetrant liquid
• Ultrasound
• Infrared thermography
• Pacometry
• Concrete permeability
• Concrete strength – core extraction
• Extensometry test
• Mapping with aerometry (drone)
• Mapping using 3D scanning

The inspection results in detailed reports containing all the reports of the technological tests carried out, informing the state of conservation and any pathologies identified, reporting points of improvement, drawings with the repairs to be made, if the inspection defines it, and the classification grade of each asset , as required by the standard.

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Carrying out the load test on the Itacaiúnas Bridge, using loaded trucks

Top and bottom view of the Itacaiúnas Bridge

Extraction of the specimen with the CP extracted

 

 

The British band Coldplay closed on Saturday, 18/3, the cycle of six shows in São Paulo, part of the world tour “Music of the Spheres” that celebrates the last album of the group. For the safety of the musicians and thousands of fans who attended the concert, the Morumbi stadium was being monitored by IEME Brasil, which installed sensors to measure the deformation of the structure subjected to dynamic loads, such as those generated by the public jumping in music shows or in matches. of football. These measurements provide a number of important pieces of information about the structure.

Stadiums that are constantly monitored and receive regular maintenance, as is the case of Estádio Cicero Pompeu de Toledo (São Paulo Futebol Clube – SPFC stadium), are very safe. Unfortunately, most Brazilian stadiums do not have this concern. The problem can arise when the structure enters into resonance, that is, the frequency of the dynamic load coincides with the natural frequency of the structure. In these cases, vibrations can exceed the limits allowed in technical standards and cause public panic, accidents and even the collapse of the structure.

SPFC, always concerned with ensuring the safety and comfort of its public, once again hired IEME Brasil to monitor the structure of the stadium. This time the event was the Coldplay concert. Congratulations to the SPFC staff for their care and responsibility.

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