Geometric control of the Constitución de 1812 cable-stayed Bridge over the Cadiz Bay

Abstract

Geometric control of bridges erected using the balanced cantilever method is always complex. In this case, this has been compounded by the great structural flexibility, weight, and dimensions of the erected segments and the cable-stayed cross-section scheme.These uncertainties, added to the process of obtaining the geometry of the tower and deck, can be fully adjusted if an exhaustive control of all bridge elements is performed throughout the entire construction sequence.The rationale was based on the detailed prior segment assembling in the dockyard, and its positioning using an angle relative to the previously erected deck, establishing some adjustments to eliminate the calculated deviations. A special procedure was established for the geometric control of the joints between different decks in order to adjust precisions to welding tolerances.