Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Publication
    TRUSS, a European Innovative Training Network Dealing with the Challenges of an Aging Infrastructure Network
    Inspections and maintenance of infrastructure are expensive. In some cases, overdue or insufficient maintenance/monitoring can lead to an unacceptable risk of collapse and to a tragic failure as the Morandi bridge in Genoa, Italy, on 14th August 2018. An accurate assessment of the safety of a structure is a difficult task due to uncertainties associated with the aging and response of the structure, with the operational and environmental loads, and with their interaction. During the period from 2015 to 2019, the project TRUSS (Training in Reducing Uncertainty in Structural Safety) ITN (Innovative Training Network), funded by the EU H2020 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Action (MSCA) programme, has worked towards improving the structural assessment of buildings, energy, marine, and transport infrastructure. Fourteen Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) have been recruited to carry out related research on new materials, testing methods, improved and more efficient modelling methods and management strategies, and sensor and algorithm development for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) purposes. This research has been enhanced by an advanced program of scientific and professional training delivered via a collaboration between 6 Universities, 1 research institute and 11 companies from 5 European countries. The high proportion of companies participating in TRUSS ITN has ensured significant industry expertise and has introduced a diverse range of perspectives to the consortium on the activities necessary to do business in the structural safety sector.
      219
  • Publication
    TRUSS Training in Reducing Uncertainty in Structural Safety: D2.5 Final Report: WP2 - Dissemination and Outreach
    This report describes the outputs of work package WP2 (Dissemination and Outreach) from 1 st January 2015 to 31st December 2018. Dissemination by TRUSS is keenly aware of the importance of not only producing and presenting research outputs for the scientific community and key stakeholders (i.e., via conferences, workshops, publications and reports), but also engaging the general public in line with the Innovation Union objectives. TRUSS mainly deals with the challenges faced at the design, assessment and management stages of large scale structures. Outreach activities, blogs and social media and other communications by TRUSS, bring awareness to the public on the importance of this research on infrastructure to support a community, region or country, and also motivate School and University students to pursue a research career. These activities make citizens aware of: • Infrastructure aging and failing, with funding that has been insufficient to repair and replace it; • The important role of the Marie Skłodowksa-Curie Actions in forming 21st century engineers that will have the skills to face the formidable challenge of modernizing the fundamental infrastructure that support civilization.
      357
  • Publication
    EU FP6 - ARCHES Deliverable D10: Recommendations on dynamic amplification allowance
    The ARCHES (Assessment and Rehabilitation of Central European Highway Structures) project (2006-09) involved partners from Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and The Netherlands. The overall goal of the project is to reduce any gaps in the standard of highway infrastructure between Central and Eastern European Countries, particularly New Member States and the rest of the EU. Deliverable D10 is within WP2: optimise the use of existing infrastructure through better safety assessment and monitoring procedures which will avoid interventions, i.e., avoid unnecessary replacing or improving structures that are in fact perfectly safe. In particular, D10 provides a more realistic site-specific dynamic allowance for traffic loading than those genral values recommended in bridge codes.Correct evaluation of the behaviour of highway bridges under heavy traffic loading is extremely important both for the enhancement of design techniques, and also for the assessment of existing infrastructure. It is widely accepted that shortfalls exist in the determination of the traffic load which the bridge may be required to support during its expected lifetime due to inadequate consideration of amongst other factors, the dynamic interaction between the bridge structure and the heavy vehicles crossing it. Since it is the overall objective of this deliverable to combine lifetime static load effect values, with realistic dynamic amplification factors (to obtain an overall total lifetime load effect) there are two distinct parts:1) The calculation of bridge static load effect due to site-specific traffic flow, which is discussed in subtask 2.1.1 (Deliverable D08) along with the resultant assessment of bridge lifetime static load effect, and the selection of those loading events that are deemed critical (statically).Examples on how to determine these bridge traffic load models using Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) data and their configuration when using data from Central European countries are provided in subtask 2.1.1 on bridge traffic load monitoring. This subtask has also compared results between data from Western and Central European countries.2) Deliverable D10 focuses on the assessment of the levels of dynamic interaction occurring between a bridge and its associated vehicular traffic. This analysis incorporates a review of those recommendations given in current design/assessment codes for dynamic allowance.Then, the procedure to obtain a site-specific dynamic amplification factor using theoretical simulations and available experimental data is described. Some specific issues concerning the dynamic allowance associated to: (a) deteriorated bridges; (b) pre-existing bridge vibrations; (c) maximum total effects developing in sections different from midspan, (d) the existence of a bump prior to the bridge, or (e) critical loading cases such as cranes, are also discussed. Finally,general recommendations on dynamic allowance are provided.
      152
  • Publication
    TRUSS, a European innovative training network dealing with the challenges of an aging infrastructure network
    Inspections and maintenance of infrastructure are expensive. In some cases, overdue or insufficient maintenance/monitoring can lead to an unacceptable risk of collapse and to a tragic failure as the Morandi bridge in Genoa, Italy, on 14th August 2018. An accurate assessment of the safety of a structure is a difficult task due to uncertainties associated with the aging and response of the structure, with the operational and environmental loads, and with their interaction. During the period from 2015 to 2019, the project TRUSS (Training in Reducing Uncertainty in Structural Safety) ITN (Innovative Training Network), funded by the EU H2020 Marie Curie-Skłodowska Action (MSCA) programme, has worked towards improving the structural assessment of buildings, energy, marine, and transport infrastructure. Fourteen Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) have been recruited to carry out related research on new materials, testing methods, improved and more efficient modelling methods and management strategies, and sensor and algorithm development for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) purposes. This research has been enhanced by an advanced program of scientific and professional training delivered via a collaboration between 6 Universities, 1 research institute and 11 companies from 5 European countries. The high proportion of companies participating in TRUSS ITN has ensured significant industry expertise and has introduced a diverse range of perspectives to the consortium on the activities necessary to do business in the structural safety sector.
      243