(20 July 2016) Seven years of work, 40 thousand people in the construction yards, six billion dollars in spending: the new Panama Canal was inaugurated in June, and Italy has played an important role in the realization of this gigantic work. From Udine University comes a contribution to the design of the 16 steel gate, up to 33 meters high and built from Cimolai. Friuli University has designed and tested in its laboratories, the rubber seals with steel core and vertical and horizontal structural supports in steel-rubber of the gates. The study and testing of the two elements was conducted by the research group coordinated by Gaetano Russo and composed by Andrea Courtesy, Igino Pitacco and Guido Tognan. Scientific cooperation of the University of Udine was held on the basis of two agreements with Cimolai and Ilpea Industries stipulated by the former Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture now merged into the new Polytechnic Department of engineering and architecture. The University team provided a first collaboration with Cimolai, designing the gates seals and performing the tests in the official testing materials and structures laboratory of the University. (Red)
Panama Canal, Udine University involved in the gates design
