Sireg Geotech fiberglass rebar supports Italian bridge reconstruction

Sireg Geotech (Arcore MB, Italy), a manufacturer and exporter of non-metallic and composite products for geotechnical and civil engineering sectors, is working alongside Manini Prefabbricati SpA (Umbria, Italy) for the reconstruction of a reinforced concrete bridge in Europe prestressed with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar. Additional technical support is being provided by Italy-based University of Cagliari, the University of Miami’s Antonio Nanni and ASDEA srl.

Reconstruction of the bridge in Fontanamare-Gonnesa (Cagliari) is the result of its collapse under the weight of a lorry (i.e., truck) in 2020. Sireg designed and produced the pultruded Glasspree rebar for its rehabilitation — which the company claims is the only ones in GFRP composite material with ETA European certification available on the market to date — for the Manini precast elements. These materials ensures that the bridge now has an estimated life twice that of steel (i.e., 100 years), a lower weight and greater resistance to corrosion in a salty environment, reduced lifecycle costing and a lower environmental impact.

According to Sonja Blanc, CEO of Sireg Geotech, as reported by JEC Composites, the company hopes that “this bridge will soon become a model for the reinforcement of reinforced concrete infrastructures and structures exposed to particularly aggressive environments or subject to constant degradation.”

The bridge is said to be the first of its kind, having both the slab and the deck beams prestressed with stirrups and flexural reinforcement made of glass fiber rebar. The deck is 23.30 meters long and 9.10 meters wide. A cycle of load, shear and bending tests on a main beam was scheduled to take place this month at Manini Prefabbricati’s premises in Umbria. The performance of the girder is to be monitored by sensors and sophisticated AI algorithms developed by ASDEA.

Designers, students and journalists interested in learning about the potential of GRFP for civil engineering can contact Sireg at ufficiotecnico@sireg.it