Description
Historic steel constructions, such as riveted bridges, are valuable heritage assets that require preservation without invasive interventions such as welding or drilling. Auxiliary structures installed on these constructions to carry out structural strengthening or structural repairs must be easily removable. The difficulty of access to these structures makes it difficult to carry out structural inspections using traditional methods. To tackle this issue, an innovative, non-invasive, removable anchorage system has been developed and tested. In this context, clamp-based connections represent a method for constructing removable systems that enable anchoring to pre-existing structures without the need for intrusive procedures. This system allows the installation of temporary elements for the inspection and maintenance of historic steel structures without invasive operations. Also, this system allows the assembly of new elements to structural strengthening and repair of historic steel structures. Finite Element Model (FEM) simulations and laboratory experiments are carried out in order to verify the necessary load-bearing capacity for the loads involved in the works performed on the structure. In addition, the installation of elements with these anchors is being carried out on riveted steel bridges, showcasing the practical application of the developed technology.
