Research advancement on Submerged Floating Tunnels: Recent activity at DICA-Politecnico di Milano

A few topics, selected from the recent research activities performed at DICA on Submerged Floating Tunnels (SFTs), are presented concerning load modelling, design procedures and dynamic interaction with travelling vehicles. The prototype structure at study, a design proposal for the Messina Strait crossing, is composed of two single tubes independently anchored to the seabed. A model for generating seaquake effects taking into account the variability of the seabed ground motion over the length-scale of a few kilometers is described. A semi-analytical procedure is proposed to perform a preliminary design, without using a complete finite element model. The bridge-vehicle dynamic interaction is analyzed, to assess the serviceability conditions under the transit of heavy vehicles and high- and medium-speed trains. The research effort aims to the development of a complete analysis and simulation toolbox for the design of SFTs in medium-to-high seadepth.