Manini Prefabbricati: Pioneer in Europe for the Use of GFRP
IN SARDINIA, MANINI PREFABBRICATI BUILDS THE FIRST BRIDGE IN EUROPE WITH PRESTRESSED BEAMS AND GLASS FIBER REINFORCEMENT
Manini Prefabbricati pioneer in Europe, together with Sireg Geotech and Secured Solutions, for the use of GFRP (GLASS FIBER) in prefabrication: the case of the Gonnesa bridge.
When high-tech meets sustainability, ingenious solutions are born that once again see Manini Prefabbricati as a forerunner in the sector on a European, if not global, scale for the use of new materials in prefabrication such as the certified Glasspree® bars made by Sireg Geotech in GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers).
GFRP is a special glass fiber that can replace steel within the passive reinforcement of prefabricated products, and Manini is carrying out the first European application of this brand new technology, with the construction of a bridge in Sardinia, in the municipality of Gonnesa.
The advantages in adopting this new material/technology for the environment, safety, and cost-effectiveness of management are numerous:
- GFRP is not subject to alterations and oxidation, and is not corroded by humidity and salt. This allows for a significant saving in maintenance time and costs of the structure and an effective extension of the useful life span of the product, in complete safety.
- GFRP can also be used in combination with concrete made using saltwater and therefore without taking away water from the community that could potentially be used for human consumption. The climate disruptions to which we are and will be exposed in the coming years increasingly remind us of how precious the world’s water resources are.
- GFRP has a lower specific weight than steel B450C normally used for internal reinforcement and therefore, for the same amount of material, this special glass fiber has a lower impact in terms of CO2 emissions on transport.
The realization of this new infrastructure by Manini Prefabbricati also represents a “bridge” of intelligence and research between the Umbrian company and the Brianza-based Sireg Geotech, the shores of the Atlantic, the Sardinian university world, and a forward-thinking public administration attentive to the environment. The company’s American scientific partner for the construction of the Gonnesa bridge is Professor Antonio Nanni, head of the Department of Civil, Architectural Environmental Engineering at the University of Miami, territories where this technology has found its first areas of application.
In the words of Prof. Nanni: “Italian excellence is not only in fashion or food but also in less glamorous worlds like construction. The bridge in Sardinia will represent an iconic structure in Europe and the world because it testifies to the effort to create a hybrid structure that has a positive impact both economically, in the durability and sustainability of the structure itself .” Also according to the professor’s vision, who from this year is President of ACI, the most important American entity in construction and building regulations, prefabrication itself will be able to provide new answers to the many needs of a construction world that sees as priorities: quality, speed, economic advantages, serialization, and environmental respect.
This is the vision of the Assisi-based company that has structurally embraced sustainability among its research themes and production excellence: the adoption of GFRP is the latest innovation in a catalog rich in exclusive and significant solutions.
Every great endeavor, especially if it has a strong innovative content like this one, needs a team that works synergistically on its realization. Manini Prefabbricati wishes to publicly thank the partners with whom it has shared the opportunity to work on this project.
Structural fiberglass reinforcements: Sireg Geotech S.r.l.
Design and Work Management: Secured Solutions S.r.l.
Technical Scientific Support: University of Cagliari; University of Miami: Antonio Nanni; ASDEA S.r.l.
Client: Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Municipality of Gonnesa.
