Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Engineers Ireland,
22 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland
31st January 2014
An Introduction to the
Long Life Bridges Project
Prof. Eugene OBrien
Roughan O’Donovan Innovative Solutions
Ireland
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
EU 7th Framework Programme
European Commission for Research And Innovation
People Theme
Marie-Curie Actions
Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)
Call-FP7-People-2011-IAPP
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Aims – Training & Knowledge Transfer
Marie Curie is about training researchers
• Building diverse research careers
• Researchers can be in industry as well as in universities
Industry-Academic Partnerships and Pathways = Knowledge Transfer
• Enhancing Industry-Academia Collaboration
− Exchange of knowledge via exchange of people
− Embedding the research results in industry
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Research Aim: To Extend the Lives of Bridges
•
Background
− Effective Transport System
− Conservative design
− But conservatism is often uneven
Forth Road Bridge, Scotland
− Deterioration may be in non-critical parts of
bridge
− Cost of strengthening
− If a deteriorated bridge is safe, we need to
know
...........Need to achieve more with less
Old & New Forth Road Bridges, Scotland
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Research Aim: To Extend the Lives of Bridges
•
Project will deliver
− more road & rail bridges proven to be safe
− higher speeds on our (non-high speed) railway lines
− with less demand for non-renewable and carbon-intensive resources
− for less cost
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Research Aim: To Extend the Lives of Bridges
.....and create jobs & industrial growth by stimulating the expansion of two
ambitious SME’s and increase their penetration into overseas markets.
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Project Participants – University Partners
• Aalborg, Denmark
• Expertise in Risk Quantification
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Expertise in Railway Bridge Monitoring
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Project Participants – Industry Partners
•
•
•
•
SME (Consultant - Coordinator)
Ireland
At Leading edge of bridge assessment using SHM
Advanced load and resistance modelling
•
•
•
•
SME
France
Specialise in Uncertainty Engineering and Risk Analysis
Expertise in Fatigue
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Concept
WP1: Research
WP2: Knowledge
Transfer & Training
WP3: Dissemination
& Commercialisation
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Concept
WP1: Research
WP2: Knowledge
Transfer & Training
WP3: Dissemination &
Commercialisation
Growth & Jobs
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
WP1 – Research Plan
3 Core Areas with Secondments
Task 1.1
Bridge Loading & Dynamics
Task 1.2
Life Cycle Evaluation
Task 1.3
Fatigue Evaluation
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Phimeca
(SME)
ROD (SME)
Task 1.1: Railway
Bridge Dynamics
KTH
(university)
Task 1.2: Life Cycle
Evaluation
Task 1.3: Fatigue
Evaluation
AAU
(university)
Task 1.1 : Bridge Loading and Dynamics
• Accurately quantify the ‘true’ dynamic allowance for railway bridges with an
acceptably low probability of exceedance using a probabilistic evaluation
DAF 
LE Total
LE Static
~
ADR  LE Total
~
LE Static
ADR vs. DAF
Frequency Ratio vs. DAF
Vehicle/Bridge Interaction Model1
• Developed a semi-active damping system to reduce the dynamic excitation in
bridge hangers
1: Yang, Y.B, Yau, J.D, WU, Y.S (2004) 'Vehicle Bridge Interaction Dynamics with applications to high speed railways', World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. ltd, ISBN 981-238-847-8
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Task 1.2 : Life Cycle Evaluation
• Developed a framework for probabilistic life cycle evaluation of
bridges, particularly new large cable stayed bridges
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Task 1.3 : Fatigue Evaluation
• Developed a framework for probabilistic for fatigue design of steel
bridges, including stochastic models for significant uncertainties
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
WP2 & WP3
WP2: Knowledge Transfer & Training
Task 2.1 - Knowledge Transfer
•Complementary skills
•Workshops
•Secondments
•Experienced project team
Task 2.2 - Training
•Industry vs. Academic environment
•Mentors and professional training
•Professional Development Plan
WP3: Dissemination & Commercialisation
Task 3.1 - Dissemination & Promotion of
Results
•Conferences (IABMAS 2012, IABSE 2013,
TRA 2014, Eurodyn 2014)
•Local dissemination events
•Long Life Bridges website
Task 3.2 - Exploitation & Protection of
Results
•Confidentiality
•Intellectual Property Rights
•Publishing
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Beyond Long Life Bridges
.....next generation SHM
Smart Maintenance Analysis
and RemediaTion of Rail
Infrastructure
BRIDGE Safety MONitoring
Virtual Structural Health Monitoring
Bridge Weigh In Motion
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges
Thank You
Prof. Eugene OBrien
[email protected]
Project Website
www.longlifebridges.com
Acknowledgement
Long Life Bridges is a Marie Curie Industry and Academia Partnerships and
Pathways project and is funded by the European Commission 7th Framework
Programme (IAPP-GA-2011-286276).
Practical Steps To Extend the Lives of Bridges