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Journal

International Journal of Architectural Heritage

Conservation, Analysis, and Restoration

Volume 7, 2013 - Issue 6

 
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The Luiz Bandeira Bridge is located along the Portuguese national road EN333-3, breaching the valley of the Vouga River, just northeast of the small village Sejães, in the district of Oliveira de Frades. It is considered to be the oldest concrete bridge in use in Portugal, and one of the oldest in Europe. Since this bridge is at risk of disappearing due to a construction of a dam, the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Minho decided to launch a comprehensive study of Luiz Bandeira Bridge, in an attempt to preserve the memory of the past cataloguing the heritage for future reference. These studies include historical, geometric, and damage surveys; the physical and chemical characterization of existing structural materials; the assessment of the reinforcement detailing; and dynamic characterization by determining the main frequencies and vibration modes and safety level. This work presents a comprehensive overview of the most important results of these studies.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the following people, institutions and companies for their support, and who have made this project become reality:

To Estradas de Portugal, S.A., and in particular to Elisabete Lopes, for providing the drawing of the bridge, and authorizing the in-situ studies;

To Câmara Municipal de Oliveira de Frades, and in particular to Elisa Oliveira, for the assistance in repairing the damage resulting from the extraction of cores, and for the provided elements related to the hydroelectric complex of Ribeiradio – Ermida;

To Filipe Soares, for the provided elements related to the construction of the bridge;

To the fire department of Oliveira de Frades, for the assistance in accessing the bridge;

To the master students Clive Allen, Luana Boromeo, Mir Abdul Kuddus and Márcio Pereira, for their active collaboration in the studies developed;

To Jorge Gramaxo, from the Hilti company, for participating in the nondestructive tests for reinforcement identification.