Dante Galeota

Bio: Dante Galeota is an academic researcher from University of L'Aquila. The author has contributed to research in topics: Prestressed concrete & Deflection (engineering). The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 5 publications receiving 43 citations.

The S. Maria di Collemaggio Basilica: From Vulnerability Assessment to First Results of SHM

Abstract: In this paper, the history of the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio for the last 10 years is outlined: from the damage occurred during the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, to the rehabili...

Identification of the Elastic Modulus of Simply-Supported Girders from Dynamic Tests: Method and in Situ Validation

Abstract: Dynamic measurements under known moving loads yield a novel procedure for the elastic modulus assessment of existing concrete bridges. The bridge deck is modelled as a single-span, simply supported Euler–Bernoulli beam excited by a travelling force. The elastic modulus assessment derives from an Ordinary Least Square procedure with a Bayesian uncertainty estimation, obtained by approximating the known term of the governing equations due to the travelling force with a square wave signal. The authors validated the procedure on six full-scale concrete girders of the A24 motorway in Italy and compared the results to the values obtained via in situ static load tests and further tests on concrete specimens. The procedure represents a straightforward test devised for supporting the drafting of quality control plans and the prioritization of the interventions.

Case Study: Assessment of the Load-Carrying Capacity of Multi-span Masonry Ancient Roman Arch Bridge Situated in “Campana”, Near L’Aquila City (IT)

Abstract: The “Campana” Roman bridge is a masonry type structure located near L’Aquila in a small village seriously damaged by the catastrophic earthquake that struck the city of L’Aquila on the 6th of April 2009. This bridge is a strategic access point for the village of Campana both for the common use and for the heavy trucks involved in the construction activities due to seismic event. This ancient bridge was built in order to carry smaller load than current ones. The Campana village Major asked for performing the assessment of the bridge real carrying capacity. The structure is a multi-span arch bridge with 6 arches with a total length of 33 m. The evaluation process is based on CNR guidelines “DT 213/2015” in agreement with the current Italian Technical Code DM 14.01.2008, starting with the experimental testing program in order to get information about the geometric dimensions and the masonries’ mechanical parameters. Two different analysis methods were used in the carrying capacity analysis: (1) Computational limit analysis methods (also known as ‘plastic’ or ‘mechanism’ methods) based on the Heyman hypothesis; (2) Finite element methods “FEM” with 3d FE model discretized with “bricks” elements. The results of the two methods were compared and the “AF” Adequacy Factor was defined. Seismic analysis has also been included in the study with the aim of evaluating the bridge structural behavior under dynamic actions.

Response‐Surface Approach for Reliability Analysis

Abstract: The present paper introduces and discusses a stochastic finite-element method. It can be used for the analysis of structural and mechanical systems whose geometrical and material properties have spatial random variability. The method utilizes a polynomial expansion of the numerical nonlinear structural operator (for which actual analytical form is unknown). The expansion is made according to a response-surface approximation in terms of spatial averages of the design variables. The polynomial form is then modified by suitable error factors, one for each geometrical or mechanical property. Each error factor is due to the deviations, of the single property, from its spatial average in the different finite elements. The method demands an accurate design of the experiments to be conducted in order to identify the model parameters. A numerical example has been worked out. In this numerical example, the stresses and the strains in a light-water reactor pressurized vessel are computed by a stochastic three-dimensional finite element nonlinear analysis.

An interpretive method for moving force identification

Abstract: Dynamic load data have been Valuable for bridge and pavement design. Traditional ways to acquire truck axle and gross weight information are expensive and subject to bias, and this has led to the development of Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) techniques. Most of the existing WIM systems have been developed to measure only the static axle loads. This paper aims to introduce a method to identify moving dynamic loads on bridges using the bridge responses caused by such loads. A closed-form solution can be obtained to identify moving constant loads, while numerical methods must be used to identify the time-varying moving loads. The set of equations that leads to the solution is based on Euler's equation of beams. A two-axle vehicle model is developed to generate the theoretical responses and the corresponding interactive moving forces. Studies were carried out to check whether the proposed method could recover the original interactive moving forces and the method was found to be feasible.

Vehicle-Assisted Techniques for Health Monitoring of Bridges.

Abstract: Bridges are designed to withstand different types of loads, including dead, live, environmental, and occasional loads during their service period Moving vehicles are the main source of the applied live load on bridges The applied load to highway bridges depends on several traffic parameters such as weight of vehicles, axle load, configuration of axles, position of vehicles on the bridge, number of vehicles, direction, and vehicle’s speed The estimation of traffic loadings on bridges are generally notional and, consequently, can be excessively conservative Hence, accurate prediction of the in-service performance of a bridge structure is very desirable and great savings can be achieved through the accurate assessment of the applied traffic load in existing bridges In this paper, a review is conducted on conventional vehicle-based health monitoring methods used for bridges Vision-based, weigh in motion (WIM), bridge weigh in motion (BWIM), drive-by and vehicle bridge interaction (VBI)-based models are the methods that are generally used in the structural health monitoring (SHM) of bridges The performance of vehicle-assisted methods is studied and suggestions for future work in this area are addressed, including alleviating the downsides of each approach to disentangle the complexities, and adopting intelligent and autonomous vehicle-assisted methods for health monitoring of bridges