DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR OF 4 EXCEPTIONAL TYPEEIFFEL METAL VIADUCTS

Abstract

Under the Auvergne Rail Plan signed between the State, theAuvergne region and Réseau Ferré de France (RFF), majorrenovations of railway infrastructure were carried out under theproject management SETEC. DIADES was responsible for thediagnosis of four metal nineteenth-century viaducts situated onthe Lavaufranche/Saint-Germain des Fossés line, two of whichwere made by the young Eiffel Company and the other two by theFives Lille Company.Once the viaducts’ archives were gathered and analysed, the taskconsisted of carrying out a complete diagnostic and investigativeprogram (dimensional measurements, detailed inspections, anti-corrosion diagnosis, spectrocolorimetry, taking and analysis ofsamples, recalculations of the structures with fatiguecalculations) and then defining the program of restoration andpainting works of two viaducts while addressing the problem ofthe presence of lead in old paint. The presented works were carried out on the Rouzat viaduct byLassarat under the project management of DIADES.