Pathological Manifestations of Neoprene Support Devices in Infrastructure

The so-called works of special arts are constructions of high complexities that allow the advancement of widening gaps and overcoming obstacles previously unthinkable. With the increase in the magnitude of these structures, in addition to greater investments, the maintenance of these structures becomes an increasingly important factor for engineering. Among the elements of bridge structures, the support devices are components with important structural functions, being essential for their proper functioning and especially the durability of the entire structure. The culture of inspection and maintenance of road bridges, railroads, and viaducts in Brazil is recent. Only in 2016 was approved a specific standard for the inspection work on bridges, viaducts and concrete walkways, ABNT NBR 9452. This paper aims to evaluate the pathological manifestations in neoprene support devices so, according to inspections performed and the diagnosis of causes, define their best practices and treatments for the maintenance and mitigation of the pathologies found. In the practical study, the following steps were performed: survey and selection of the structures currently under maintenance of MetrôRio; selection of criteria for the evaluation of pathologies; carrying out inspections; comparative analysis between the viaducts to determine the priority order for negotiations; and definition of conduct. The results obtained were the result of the evaluation of the field analysis, diagnosis, and comparison with tests performed in support devices. Having as input the tests in the support devices, the best treatments and suggestions to avoid new pathologies were proposed. With the definition of the pillars that concentrated the largest number of critical devices, aiming at better use of the operation, the decision was made to replace 12 units, from the perspective of urgent replacement. The novelty of this work was the development of better informed and more systematic approaches to condition assessment, deterioration forecasting, and maintenance decision making over the life-cycle of the built asset.