Structural design for the Quickway System

Quickway is a stand-alone traffic system which can be implemented to relieve overburdened megacities or can be considered as people movement system in the development of smart cities. In detail, Quickway is a flyover network on which people and small goods are automatically moved with electric cars. The current research activities range from efficient traffic control solutions over environmental impact studies up to the preliminary structural design and construction methods.
This contribution focuses on structural aspects. In general, the construction is chosen to be realized with a modular construction kit out of slender components made of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC), which are assembled with dry joints and external tendons. On the one hand, the high bearing capacity of UHPC is used to enable a very transparent superstructure. On the other hand, the modular construction concept enables very fast construction times with a minimum of impact on the existing infrastructure.
The flyover network is realized by a grade separated traffic system of single-span beams, sub-classified in straight-, curved-, ramp- and merger elements. When it comes to curved elements, however, eccentricities introduce high torsion stressing which require further considerations. This contribution presents the result of preliminary studies on the static behaviour of a standard curved element. By using FEM and the consideration of the post cracking behaviour of fibre-reinforced UHPC (UHPFRC) a suitable cross section without the need for conventional reinforcement could be designed.