Performance of a spruce bridge in north-west Spain after 12 years of exposure |
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| Authors: | David Lorenzo Juan Fernández-Golfín Manuel Touza Alfonso Lozano |
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| Institution: | 1. Engineering for Rural and Civil Development, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spaindavidlorenzofouz@gmail.com;3. Forest Research Centre (CIFOR), National Institute for agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), Madrid, Spain;4. GAIN CIS-Madeira, Galician Technological Park, Ourense, Spain;5. Construction Engineering Area, EPS, Gijón, Spain |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACTThis article shows the performance of spruce bridge that represents the situation of several wooden bridges built in the 1990s in Spain with spruce and fir. In most cases, damages due to severe decay had appeared before 10 years of service life, and the magnitude and extent of the damages were so significant that the substitution of the structures became mandatory. The aim of this study is to understand the causes of early and severe decay, showing the case study of a spruce bridge located in north-west Spain and analysing the influence of wood species, preservative treatments and designs, combined with the variability of environmental conditions in the emergence of early pathological processes. The damage of the elements is related to the wood species used, the impossibility of applying a preservative treatment, the climatic conditions and local climate, bad design details and no maintenance, which result in a prolonged time of wetness during most of the year. This example confirms the inability of spruce wood for being used in exterior structures, such as bridges, which are located in wet and warm climates like north-west Spain and having wood-destroying fungi that can degrade the wooden elements. |
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| Keywords: | Use class wooden bridges performance service life degradation decays |
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