Author(s)

F. Nieto, S. Hernández, A. Baldomir & J. Á. Jurado

Abstract

This work presents two proposals for spanning the Galician rías. The rías are the equivalent to the Scottish firths or the Scandinavian fiords, thus long-span bridges are required to communicate both sides of that physical barrier. Additionally, the multidisciplinary approach applied in the design of these proposals that have been developed in the last decade by the Structural Mechanics Research Group is explained. Keywords: suspension bridges, sensitivity analysis, optimum design, advanced visualization, aeroelasticity. 1 Introduction Galicia is the name of the Spanish region located in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula (see figure 1). This region does not have high mountains nor large rivers, the main characteristic of the Galician physical geography is the existence of \“rias”. The rias are sea waters that have advanced deep into the land, in the mouths of some small rivers (see figure 2). Thus, there are two different ways to understand the rias as a frame for the territory: on one hand as sea masses that have penetrated into the land and on the other hand they are also peninsulas that have advanced into the Atlantic ocean. This fact has given birth to a very special and delicate environmental balance that hosts important industries related with the seafood. At the same time, due to their characteristics as natural harbours, they also host crucial industrial and commercial activities and, therefore, the two main metropolitan areas around the cities of La Corunna in the north and Vigo in the south (marked with yellow frames in figure 2) are located around the \“Rias Altas” and the \“Ría of Vigo”, respectively. The existence of the rias has constrained both the road and railway networks in

Keywords

suspension bridges, sensitivity analysis, optimum design, advanced visualization, aeroelasticity.