Image: View of the Ponte Morandi after the collapse in August 2018. (Photo: Michele Ferraris - CC BY-SA 4.0)
On 14 August 2018 the Ponte Morandi, part of the Polcevera Viaduct in Genoa, Italy, partially collapsed without warning, killing 43 people. Despite starting to show signs of deterioration in the 1990s and a number of proposals to replace the bridge in the intervening years, few initiatives were undertaken in a meaningful manner.
A University of Canterbury public talk – The Collapse of Morandi Bridge – presented by UC Engineering Professor Alessandro Palermo, explores the background and design philosophy of the designer Riccardo Morandi, overviews the construction and design of the Genoa bridge and highlights the possible causes of the collapse. His presentation, on Wednesday 8 May, concludes with some lessons learnt that could be relevant to New Zealand bridge infrastructure.
A member of UC’s Civil and Natural Resources Engineering department, Professor Palermo’s research interests are mainly focused on structural bridge engineering. His expertise includes implementation of seismic low-damage technologies for precast concrete bridges and buildings. Professor Palermo is course coordinator of a postgraduate course in structural engineering at the University of Canterbury. His research varies from monitoring and seismic assessment of existing bridges to the use of novel materials such as glass reinforcing and ultra-high-performance concrete.
The Collapse of the Morandi Bridge – public lecture by Professor Alessandro Palermo, was held on Wednesday 8 May, 6pm to 8pm, UC College of Engineering, Lecture Theatre E9, Ilam campus, Christchurch.
