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 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 1

An asymmetric Curve Cable Stayed Bridge in Parma

(Italy)

P. Giorgio Malerba, Dept. Of Struct. Eng., Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

Paolo Galli, Consultant engineer, Milan, Italy
Paolo Sorba, A.I.Erre Engineering S.r.l., Parma, Italy

Abstract
The De Gasperi Cable Stayed Bridge (Parma – Italy) was completed in 2005. It has an
asymmetric geometry, with a single pylon inclined at an angle of 72° in respect to the
horizontal plane, that stretches 75.00 m above deck level, for a total length of 79.00 m.
The suspended curved deck is subdivided into a 40 m span (from the northern
counterbalance to the pylon) and a 130 m span (from the pylon to the southern
abutment). The deck, made up of two sections separated by a 5 m wide gap, has a
composite steel - concrete cross section. The pylon is made up of two pre-stressed blades,
transversally connected to one another by means of five couples of steel bracings and by
reinforced concrete walls at the two ends. The foundations of the pylon and of the
abutments are of the indirect type with piles.

The conception of the structure

Crossing over the river Parma, the cable strayed bridge named after Alcide De Gasperi
connects the roundabout in Via Laghirano to the stretch of road which ends on Strada degli
Argini, along the new Parma city beltway. When talking of bridges which are part of a urban
viability network, we usually think of multi-span beams, resting on piles in the river bed and
on concrete abutments at the ends. In this particular case, on considering the environmental
impact of this simple and economical type of bridge, it was immediately clear that such a
massive structure would not only block out the view, but even change the actual image of the
river itself which, at this particular point, can be seen from different perspectives. In addition,
the ever changing and often impetuous flow of this river would call for suitable foundations
and piles into the river bed.

This last problem, together with the aesthetic issues, were solved by adopting a cable stayed
system, in which the supporting action supplied by the piles is carried out from above by rows
of cables gathered at the tip of a pylon which, in turn, directs the loads down to the
foundations.

Due to the fact that the bridge is asymmetric, the single pylon has to be inclined in order to
counterbalance the pull of the cables stretching from the suspended curved deck. This
counterbalance action is provided by the weight of the inclined pylon itself and then by
anchoring the tip of the pylon to a counterweight, which at the same time forms the abutment
for the access road to Strada degli Argini.
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 2

General characteristics of the bridge

The bridge has asymmetric geometry, with one single pylon inclined at an angle of 72° in
respect to the horizontal plane. The pylon is 79m long and stretches up to 75m (Figure 1). The
suspended curved deck is subdivided into two spans. The first one stretches for 40m from the
northern abutment to the pylon, while the second covers a 130m span from the pylon to the
southern abutment.

Longitudinal profile

Plan

Downstream

Upstream

Figure 1. General characteristics of the bridge

Transversally, the deck is made up of two separate structures, each one 11.40m wide, having a
composite steel – concrete section (Figure 2). The two parts are separated by a 5m gap, thus
the total width reaches 27.8 m. In plant, the bridge axis is circular, having an average radius of
350.53 m. The vertical section shows a constant curvature with a radius of 3000m. The two
sections of the deck are aligned transversally and slope at a gradient of 4.5%. Due to the
overall geometry of the bridge, the cables are arranged in a half-fan pattern and lay on
different planes. The 130m suspended stretch is sustained by 7 sets of cables (1x4 + 6x3 = 22
cables). Another 3 sets of 11 cables connect the pylon to the counterweight.
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 3

UPSTREAM TYPICAL TRANSVERSAL BEAM DOWNSTREAM

UPSTREAM TYPICAL TRANSVERSAL CROSS SECTION DOWNSTREAM

UPSTREAM TRANSVERSAL BEAM OVER THE SOUTH ABUTMENT DOWNSTREAM

LONGITUDINAL SECTION (130M SPAN)

DECK PLAN
DOWNSTREAM

UPSTREAM

Figure 2. Plan and cross section of the suspended deck

The foundations
The southern abutment
The southern abutment sits on two rows of 7 foundation piles having a 150cm diameter and
37.40 m long. The frontal wall lies on a 1.50 m thick base and grades its height according to
the transversal inclination of the structure. The wall also acts as a support for the
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 4

embankment. In order to counterbalance the earth’s thrust, the wall has been reinforced by
means of 5 internal triangular buttresses.

The upper part of the wall is shaped so as to form large horizontal steps where 6 supports
provide vertical constraint to the deck. At the top of the abutment, in a central position, a
hollow hosts a vertical sliding bearing which constrains the radial movements of the deck.

The Foundations of the Antenna

The foundations of the antenna are formed by a grid made up of 6 x 8 = 48 foundation piles,
having a 150cm diameter and 37.40m long. They are arranged with a relatively regular pace
of 4.50m, so as to form a square mesh. The base of the foundations has a rectangular shape,
35.00 m long and 27.00m wide. The longitudinal section tapers out into large steps. The
foundation block in the central area is lightened by two prismatic hollows, and then, at the
riverside, by a duct which leads to the room where the cable heads which pre-stress the
antenna are to be found.

The Structure of the counterweight

The counterweight is a vast structure for which great care was taken in calibrating the balance
between the solid and hollow parts. The functions of the counterweight structure are: a)
anchoring the mooring cables, which elastically constrains the vertex of the antenna; b) fixing
the metal girders coming from the antenna; c) acting as a connection to the northern road
network.

The foundations are made up of 24 foundation piles having Ø 150cm and are 37.40m long.
The foundation plinth has a trapezium layout and is 1.50m thick.

Vertically, the counterweight can be considered in two distinct parts having different widths.
The lower one is the widest, due to the need to fan out the run of the cables towards the basis,
so as to obtain an efficient contrasting action against lateral loads on the antenna and, and at
the same time not interfere with the roadway traffic. The upper part, which only involves the
central group of 4 cables and the structure which connects it to the deck, is as wide as the
deck itself.

Internally, the counterweight is subdivided into 5 hollow rooms by 4 walls. The ceiling of the
empty rooms are perpendicular to the cables direction. The ceilings are reasonably thick (from
6,5 to 2,0m) so as to carry out a ballast function and, at the same time, to provide adequate
lateral surfaces capable of adsorbing the high shear actions conveyed by the cables.

The connecting structure

An asymmetric stayed system, having an inclined antenna which is sturdily constrained by
mooring stays, conveys intense horizontal forces to the ground. In order to limit any
movement between the counterweight and the antenna, two pre-stressed stringers connect to
the base slabs of either foundation.

The deck
The structure has mixed composite steel – concrete sections and is made up of 3 longitudinal
girders. The two lateral ones are box girders while the central one has a double “T” section
(Figures 2 and 3). The steel is of CORTEN type.
The 130m suspended span girders are the same height (1.30m) for the length of 120m from
the southern abutment, then their height varies up to 1.75m, in correspondence of the
intermediate bearing that rest on the transversal walls at the sides of the antenna. In the
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 5

suspended stretch, the longitudinal beams are connected to one another by 7 box girders
traverses. The traverses also host the anchorage devices of the stays.

In the stretch behind the antenna, the girders height varies from 1.75m, in correspondence of
the axis of the antenna, up to 2.75m, in correspondence of the northern abutment. In this
section, the longitudinal girders are connected by 3 transversal trusses (Figure 3).

(a) (b)
Figure 3. The deck during erection. a) the suspended stretch; b) the northern stretch
behind the antenna.

THE ANTENNA
The antenna structure
The antenna is divided vertically into two parts (Figure 4). The lower section is made up of 7
segments made of reinforced concrete. In the upper section a metal case, that houses the stays
anchorage devices, has been inserted in the gap between the two lateral pre-stressed concrete
walls coming from the lower section, so that the overall image of the antenna is streamline
both from an upstream and a downstream perspective.

The two walls, here called the “blades”, are braced by transversal elements. At the bottom, the
bracing action is carried out by two reinforced concrete walls, 1m thick and 9.50m high,
which run perpendicular to the blades. At the top, we find another reinforced concrete
trasverse, on which the steel case has been fixed: it is as wide as the gap between the “blades”
and 5.00m high. In the intermediate area, the transversal connection is given by couples of
cross-shaped bracings, evenly spaced.

The anchoring system at the top of the antenna

The steel case placed at the tip of the antenna houses the cables anchorage devices (Figure 5).
The suspension system consists of cables of different diameters, having a minimum of 3 to a
maximum of 91 strands. The forces acting in the stays reach a maximum of 12,000 kN, while
the medium value is of 7,500 kN. Suitable diffusion mechanisms have to be exploited in order
to transfer to the concrete body of the antenna with acceptable stress rates, forces of such an
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 6

Figure 4. The antenna.

 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 7

intensity, concentrated in an area as limited as the one in which the cables strands are
included.

Figure 5. The steel anchoring system.

A first level of diffusion is provided by the steel anchorage blocks, that convey the cables pull
on thick steel plates. At a second stage, the resultants, each one having its own intensity and
eccentricity, that act on these plates, have to be conveyed to the axis of the antenna, by means
of stiff and robust systems. The transfer is carried out by the metal “castle”, which can bear
high local stresses with thicknesses and weights lower that the ones that would have been
involved if the anchoring structure was made of concrete. Moreover, a metal structure can be
manufactured in a workshop, thus allowing to build with great precision the complex
arrangement of diaphragms and local stiffeners which provide to grade the critical diffusion
mechanism. In this case, the steel case, built by specialized manufacturers is made up of 4
segments which were assembled onto the concrete traverse at the top of the antenna.

It must be outlined that, for a temporary stage of several months, the antenna had to stand
alone, fixed only by means of its connection to the foundation. Because of the slope, the
vertical forces had some eccentricity, thus introducing a flexional component in the antenna.
As a consequence, the section at the basis would have remained fully compressed only during
the first erection phases. In the following stages, strong ordinary reinforcements would have
been needed in the area facing the river, in order to adsorb the intense tensile stresses. These
stresses would have become higher and higher as the erection of the antenna went on. Instead
of introducing a great amount of ordinary reinforcements, the eccentricity due to the self
weight has been counterbalanced by means of 28 pre-stressing cables, each one made up of 27
strands having a 0.6” diameter. These cables, starting with low eccentricity from the top,
gradually converge towards the frontal sides of the two blades (Figure 4). Once the antenna
was completed, the section at the basis resulted fully compressed, with the southern edge (the
one facing the river) undergoing stresses a little higher than the ones at the opposite edge. The
subsequent action of the suspension stays provided to move the force resultant towards the
axis of the antenna.
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 8

The lateral walls.

At the side of the antenna, at a 15cm distance from the its lateral faces, there are two
transversal walls which bear the vertical loads transmitted by the deck in correspondence of
the axis of the antenna, and the horizontal thrusts, due to the pull of the stays onto the curved
deck of the bridge.

The staying system

The suspension system is made up of 33 stays. They all converge to the steel case and are
slightly offset.

The 130m span is supported by means of seven sets of stays. The bottom anchoring devices
are housed by the traverses which connect the two sections of the deck (Fig. 7). The first
traverse, coming from the southern abutment, is supported by four stays, two at the ends and
two at the midspan of the traverse. The other six traverses are supported by three stays each.
Northward, the head of the antenna is directly connected to the counterbalance block by
eleven mooring stays.

The Bearing and Restraint System

The particular geometry of the bridge led to the following unusual restraint system for the
deck:
- in the northern section, behind the antenna, the deck is built in the counterbalance block;
- the cross section in correspondence with the transversal walls at the sides of the antenna
lay on bidirectional bearing supports;
- at the same section, the radial displacements are constrained by two shear keys, one for
each half of the deck, sliding on vertical supports placed at the middle of the two walls;
- the cross section in correspondence of the southern abutment lays on six bidirectional
bearing supports; its radial displacements are constrained by a single shear key sliding
over a vertical support and placed in the middle of the abutment upper surface.

Structural Analyses
The bridge had been studied by means of several numerical models. Displacements and
stresses due to dead, permanent and live loads, combined according to several load
combinations, have been systematically studied.
Specific analyses have been carried out to define the pre-tensioning of the stays and the
tensioning sequence.
Other specific analyses have dealt with the antenna stability, the effects due to stays pre-
tensioning during temporary erection stages, the details of the diffusion zones, the forces and
the displacements regarding the bearing devices.

Construction Phases
In addition to usual engineering problems, bridge construction has also to deal with the
solution of all issues regarding erection stages and temporary configuration, until the
completion of the works.
The bridge erection has been developed through the following phases:
- Foundations and abutment at south side.
- Foundations of the antenna. Foundations and counterbalance at north side.
- Placement of temporary piers in the riverbed.
- Erection of the antenna and connection of the two blades through cross bracings.
- Pre-stressing of the antenna.
- Casting of the traverse at the top of the antenna.
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 9

- Assembly of the blocks of the steel anchoring system at the top of the antenna and
contemporary advance of the two reinforced concrete “blades”, until completion.
- Assembly of deck beams; welding of traverses to longitudinal beams.
- Casting of segments of reinforced concrete deck slabs. The strips in correspondence of the
transverses, where negative moments were expected, were cast after the first pre-
tensioning and the application of all dead loads. The gaps were then filled by fibre added
concrete.
- Final tensioning of the stays, with complete recover of the vertical displacements due to
permanent loads (roadbed, sidewalks, guard rails)
- Finishing works (lighting, painting).

Monitoring and Field Measurements

During the erection stage, all the controls on specimens of materials and on the building
procedures have been carried out. Welded parts have been checked through magnetoscopic
and ultrasonic tests. A specimen of a cable made of 55/0,6” strands have been put under a
pulse fatigue test for 2x106 cycles, and then stretched to breaking load.
Systematic topographic surveys checked the antenna alignment and the correctness of the
altimetric profile. The tensioning of the stays took about ten days for each of the two phases
(first and second tensioning). The effects on the deck, due to pre-tensioning, have been
indirectly controlled by means of topographical surveys. A direct control of the tension in
stays was carried out during the second tensioning phase, by checking the tension reached in
each strand at the end of the first one.
During its service life the structural behaviour of the bridge is monitored through a set of
transducers which measure the main mechanical and environmental parameters. Data
acquisition is carried out through a dedicated computer. Fig. 8 shows a view, taken from an
upstream perspective, of the finished bridge.

Contractors
The bridge was built by a temporary association of contractors formed by: Nino Ferrari (main
contractor), La Spezia – Italy; Cordioli & C. Costruzioni Metalliche, Valeggio sul Mincio
(Vr) – Italy. Pre-tensioning and pre-stressing systems and bearing supports were supplied by
ALGA S.p.A., Milan – Italy.

References
Malerba P.G. (Editor), (2006), Photos by Luca Piola. Ponte De Gasperi, dai bozzetti all’opera
finita (De Gasperi Bridge, from the sketches to the finished work) – in Italian. Monte
Università Parma Editore – info@mupeditore.it – www.mupeditore.it.

Acknowledgements
This paper is dedicated to memory of Francesco Martinez y Cabrera, Professor of “Bridge
analysis and design” at the Politecnico di Milano, who conceived this bridge, and to the
memory of Doct. Eng. Fabrizio Fabbri, who began this work with passion and competence.
The photos of this article were taken by Mr. Luca Piola and Eng. Paolo Galli.
 Paolo Galli, P. Giorgio Malerba, Paolo Sorba, Page 10

Figure 6. The bridge after completion, seen from an upstream perspective.