National Research Projects

acronym

project

Funding

MIMOSA

Multi Non-Linear Structural Condition Modelling Simulation and Assessment
Our entire infrastructure is aging. Assessment on its function is most important for their management. The traditional approach, namely visual inspections and subjective assessment, has not changed for a long time. On the other hand new knowledge from European research projects became available to VCE. This offers the opportunity to create an entirely new approach to modelling simulation and assessment of our infrastructure using sophisticated mathematical solutions and simulation routines.

Since the collapse of the Reichsbrücke in Vienna on 1st of August 1976 Central Europe has been leading world wide in bridge assessment. VCE has a large share in this field and is acknowledged as one of the world leaders in dynamic structural health monitoring. After the collapse of the Mississippi Bridge on 1st of August 2007 it became obvious that it is high time for a next generation of high-tech computer based systems to support the managers of our infrastructure which are confronted with shrinking budgets.

MIMOSA is determined to develop the necessary models to allow online updating of the multi non linear behaviour of our infrastructure. The product will be a Modelling and Simulation Tool Box able to provide the managers of the infrastructure with all necessary information to carry out their job and to optimize the economic side of this exercise.

Download:
mimosa - overview.pdf
ANNEX-1_2009-06-30_Current Practice.pdf
ANNEX-3_Technical Summary_ModSim.pdf

DESTRail

DESTRail- A project in KIRAS

SEISMID

Seismic System Identification for the Vienna Basin based on Measurements
Earthquakes pose a major threat to human life, built environment and infrastructure. Eurocode 8, which comes into full force in 2008, changes the risk assessment as well as the design practice completely. In some countries north of the Alps, like Austria, Germany and Switzerland, earthquakes have become the guiding load case. The program aims to develop measurement methodologies, which allow a site specific assessment of the seismic risk as well as a realistic resistance of existing buildings. The re-assessment demand by the authorities and owners of buildings can be satisfied.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Ongoing

Cable Dynamics 07

VCE is regarded as one of the few specialists in the field of "Cable-Dynamics" worldwide. The expertise has been obtained within national and international research projects as well as during the construction of cable stayed bridges worldwide. Therefore it is a unique occasion for VCE to bring the "Seventh International Symposium on Cable Dynamics" in December 2007 to Vienna.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

OPT-LBM

Mobile Sensor-systems completed with fixed 3D picture processing stages get, in combination with intelligent monitorig-systems - "Permanet monitoring of deformation" and "Vibration monitoring" - cross-linked to identify damages and record chemical as well as physical parameters of the composition. With this, the collected data feeds a concept of an automatic benchmark-catalog which will supply information about the damage level of the composition and about the available user-utilization at the surface of the composition. To determ the security level due to the damage level of the composition a proballistic reliability tool, which uses the results of the monitoring - system as a basic component, will be installed.

Status of VCE: Partner

Project Status: Finished

INNOFORCE

The cable-geometry is the decisive input parameter for these calculations (mass per length, free vibration length). Especially the latter is of eminent importance, as its values are squared for further analysis. In the INNO-FORCE project a methodology has been developed, which enables the user to extract the free vibration length directly from measurements. To achieve that goal, a few vibration sensors (accelerometers) are going to be attached to the cable or tendon in certain positions to calculate the vibration shapes from the measurement data. An automatic model-updating algorithm (analytical finite element model) is used to derive the free vibration length via variation of the FE-model parameters until it matches with the measurement's results with sufficient accuracy. Alternative to the FE-model updating a simplified method bases on Excel was developed. This method uses optimisation algorithms based on the method of gradients or on a Gauß-Newton Algorithm.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

NOLINE

Between July 2005 and June 2007 the research project "No-Line" was carried out. The main objective of the project was to develop a wireless measuring system for BRIMOS®-applications. Therefore a completely new concept of synchronized sampling within sub-microseconds had been realized by assembling two prototypes. Moreover the possibility to implement concepts for energy harvesting had been investigated.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

HotSpot

The present research project encourages a completely new, advanced decision support for owners of bridge infrastructure, which is based on permanent monitoring-systems of highway-bridges.
It was aspired to conceive cheap and effective observation systems for bridges which are of higher priority (purposeful, well targeted amount of used measurement sensors). Contrary to the present practice of manual inspection - the permanent monitoring systems to be developed in bridges were aspired to provide structure-specific, objective parameters by representing the bridge's hot spots. Readily available information is going to be of eminent importance for bridge owners to make faster and more accurate decisions in the course of maintaining their infrastructure.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

MIM

MiM - Measurement in Motion
The basic idea of this project is to register data on traffic by means of moving vehicles. Under the key-note "From Infrastructure to Cooperative Systems" the acquired information should be connected to other data like these of locked-in measurement facilities. The results are used for the optimization of the flow of traffic. Essential is here the communication between the single components among each other, i.e. from vehicle to vehicle and from vehicle to locked-in measurement facilities or control systems.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

DESUS

Decision Support System
Meanwhile it is practically impossible to manually evaluate every single measurement file. The evaluation of the data and the assessment of the structures must be carried out by experts with many years of experience at the moment. With this research project the development of a so-called Decision Support System (DESUS) is proposed, which shall not replace the expert but essentially support him in his activities.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

DyGes

Dynamisches Gewichtserfassungs System
The objective of the research activity is the registration of vehicle speed and weight in real time by means of the measurement of the dynamic characteristic of bridges.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

VCM

Vibration Characteristic Method
is a project financed by the FFF (Forschungsförderungsfond der gewerblichen Wirtschaft, Austria) to determine the vibration characteristic of structures for the purpose of assessment and health monitoring.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

LUNA 3

a project financed by the FFF (Forschungsförderungsfond der gewerblichen Wirtschaft, Austria) for the development of software for non-linear prestressed bridge structures.

Status of VCE: Coordinator

Project Status: Finished

RENVIB

a project financed by UIC (Paris) for the reduction of noise and induced vibration in railways. VCE's role was the mitigation of vibration from railways in tunnels.

Status of VCE: Partner

Project Status: Finished