New walkway for the multimodal interchange (France)

This work first envisaged the realization, by means of the Straus7 calculation code, of a FEM model of the pedestrian bridge equivalent to the model used in the design phase.

The model thus created was validated by comparing the numerical displacements obtained, produced only by the permanent loads, with the design results.

Once the model was calibrated, we proceeded to simulate the test run of the gangway, assuming a loading procedure based on the available equipment (water tanks).

To this end, specific loading schemes have been adopted, aimed at maximizing the vertical displacements of the deck at the measurement points requested by the Customer.

Following the simulations carried out, the vertical displacements expected during the testing phase were estimated, demonstrating that the structure has a consistent response to static loads in terms of deformation of the deck.

For the purpose of greater confidence regarding the goodness of the results obtained with the Straus7 code, a parallel FEM model was created in the Sofistik environment, which provided consistent and comparable results.