Non-destructive tests – Ponte della Botta (Italy)

The activity involved the execution of non-destructive tests in order to characterize the materials. The check was carried out on the Ponte della Botta in Valleve, in the province of Bergamo.

The bridge has two arches with an upper way with a non-reinforced concrete structure and stone block masonry.

Numerous endoscopies were carried out in order to characterize the masonry of shoulders, piles and abutments and the stratigraphy of the deck. The absence of reinforcements in the part of the concrete structure was verified through magnetometric investigation and the compressive strength of the same was estimated through pull out.

The mechanical characteristics of the masonry were evaluated: by carrying out a test with flat jacks in a single configuration, the operating tension was estimated, while with a test in a double configuration the elastic modulus was estimated.

This verification made it possible to improve the level of knowledge of the bridge as a function of subsequent analyzes.