Estudio Simplificado de Diseño de Viga de Monorriel de Concreto Reforzado : Primer Sistema de Transporte de este Tipo en Panamá 2020

Isaac Abdiel Salazar Moreno

doi:10.48204/reicit.v5n2.8066

Submitted September 10, 2025

Published 2026-01-19

Artículos

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): REICIT

Simplified Design Study of a Reinforced Concrete Monorail Girder: First Transportation System of its Kind in Panama 2020

Isaac Abdiel Salazar Moreno⁺⁻

DOI https://doi.org/10.48204/reicit.v5n2.8066

PDF (Español (España))

References

DOI: 10.48204/reicit.v5n2.8066

Published: 2026-01-19

How to Cite

Salazar Moreno, I. A. (2026) “Simplified Design Study of a Reinforced Concrete Monorail Girder: First Transportation System of its Kind in Panama 2020”, REICIT, 5(2), pp. 82–98. doi: 10.48204/reicit.v5n2.8066.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Urban development in Panama faces challenges associated with population growth, traffic congestion, and the geographical limitations of an irregular topography. Against this backdrop, the implementation of the country's first monorail system, as part of Line 3 of the Panama Metro, constitutes a historic milestone in mass transit infrastructure. This study presents a simplified analysis of the design of the reinforced concrete running beam used in straddle monorails, based on the author's experience, international regulations, research conducted between 2018 and 2024 in other countries regarding monorails, and the international AASHTO LRFD specifications (2011, 2017).

The work integrates theoretical and experimental concepts derived from recent research on prestressed beams, reinforced beams, dynamic train-bridge behavior, structural fatigue, and user comfort criteria, important points according to articles developed by Pu (2018) and Zhang and Wang (2024). The main objective is to present a simplified design methodology that, without replacing detailed analyses, allows for an understanding of the fundamental parameters of safety, durability, and efficiency of reinforced concrete beams for monorails in Latin American contexts, especially in our beloved Panama. The results show that the application of simplified criteria for loads and material properties provides a clear basis for teaching civil engineering, building engineering, and infrastructure engineering in a resource-limited environment. It also highlights the importance of considering environmental aspects, such as the acoustic impact and sustainability of prestressed concrete, in the 100-year service life expected for the infrastructure. It concludes that the proposed simplified model is educational and applicable in the academic field, as well as constituting a preliminary validation tool for similar projects in the region.

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