R & D & I Projects

Currently, TORROJA INGENIERIA S.L.P. participates in the "REHABCAR" project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, within the program called INNPACTO 2010, under Line Instrumentation System Articulation and Internationalization of the National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation 2008-2011, and by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund).

The project, which will be completed in 2013, is being carried out by several major companies and public sector entities: Dragados, Geocisa, IRIDIUM, Torroja Ingenieria, Augusta, CTT Stronghold, CARTIF Foundation, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, University of Cantabria, National Research Council (CSIC).

This project aims to develop new tools for transforming existing roads and highways infrastructure into economically sustainable and of high quality in order to adapt to the changing needs of traffic and to prolong its useful life.

In this sense, the project seeks to address the complexity of a deeper knowledge of all rehabilitation activities into existing infrastructures, although it focuses on three main areas:

• Rehabilitation of alignments
• Reinforcement of pavements.
• Repair, strengthening and / or modification of overpasses and viaducts.

The specific objectives of REHABCAR are:

• Establishing an inspection methodology taking into account those provided in existing management systems (which are known by the participants in this proposal) but including non-destructive evaluation techniques.
• Systematization of the prioritization of actions and the estimated costs of rehabilitation activities.
• Evaluation of the effects of traffic operations during the execution of rehabilitation, repair, reinforcement or widening of bridges in service.
• Defining the criteria for dimensioning, design, project and installation of bearings in order to increase durability and allow its replacement during the operational phase.

Development of technology to address systematically the modification of existing structures affected by the increased widening of the platform, changes in alignments, etc.., that can influence the viaducts and the location of overpasses piles.