STRIT project “Methods and technologies for managing the risk of the transportation infrastructures”

The STRIT research program will develop technologies and tools for the safety management of risk-exposed transportation infrastructures. The program is intentionally multi-scale both vertically (i.e., the scale of the focus) and horizontally (i.e., the time scale of the problems faced).
Vertically the scales refer to:

• Individual structures (i.e., bridges, tunnels and geotechnical works). For individual systems the technologies developed will refer to the vulnerability evaluation, monitoring, risk management and reduction with respect to both manmade and natural hazards;
• The infrastructural system level. At this level tools for the risk and emergency management tools will be developed considering interdependencies and spatial distribution of the transportation network.

Horizontally the multi-scale approach consists of analyzing the safety of the transportation infrastructure looking both at the life-cycle and at the occurrence of point-in-time hazardous events as earthquakes. For this latter type of events, in fact, the real-time and near-real-time (post-event emergency management) problems will also be faced.
The project develops in four objects (OR), plus one demonstrating the results gathered via applications. The four sub-projects are devoted to each of the issues discussed above and are as much as possible non-overlapping while complementary for the focus of the project as a whole.

OR1 deals with the vulnerability assessment of bridges, tunnels and geotechnical works with respect to manmade and natural hazards. This will include the evaluation of aging and durability and tools for the gathering of knowledge for the safety assessment of infrastructures. Finally, with the aid of extensive large-scale tests, tools for the vulnerability assessment will be delivered.

OR2 is devoted to management of safety and mitigation of risks for infrastructures. In fact, it aims to the development of technologies as: structural control, seismic isolation, self-monitoring materials and techniques. At the same time, life-cycle cost and maintenance programming decision support systems will be developed with the objective of bridge management systems in a multi-risk framework.

OR3 is devoted to tools and technologies for structural monitoring and automated damage assessment. This will include hardware and software developments for both static and dynamic monitoring and will include continuous/permanent low-cost and low-energy-absorption monitoring systems.

OR4 is related to the real-time and near-real-time safety management of transportation infrastructures. Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems will be developed within this OR and this will include semi-active structural control, interaction with monitoring for rapid damage assessment and emergency network management in post-event conditions.

OR5 will demonstrate the results on existing infrastructures and individual systems. This will be mostly on-field activity aided by unique large scale and advanced lab testing.

PARTNERS

WORKING GROUP

Luigi Petti is the Scientific Coordinator of the following Sub-Or:

OR 2: Risk management of large transport infrastructure

• 2.1.1Characterization of the performance of technologies and devices for design and retrofit of bridges
  Actuators: AMRA, EUCENTRE, DISMAT, UNINA
• 2.1.3Study and engineering of devices and passive control strategies of bridges (LMF isolators and FRP plates, active confinement tires in LMF)
  Actuators: AMRA, STRESS, UNICAL, COFER, EUCENTRE, UNINA

OR 4:   Real-time management of seismic risk of major infrastructure and emergency management

• 4.2.1 Development of control algorithms pre-action (feed-forward) for semi-active systems integrated with the EWS system
  Actuators: AMRA, EUCENTRE
• 4.2.2 Development of design methods for semi-active systems integrated with the EWS system
  Actuators: AMRA, EUCENTRE

BENCHMARK VIADUCT

Reference Codes:

• Reggio decreto n.2229 del 16.11.1939
  Norme per l’esecuzione delle opere in conglomerato cementizio semplice o armato.
• Circolare n.1472 del 1957 Armature delle strutture in cemento armato

The benchmark viaduct belongs to the simply supported span bridges to span typical of the 60′-70 ‘ years. It is assembled considering structural elements of a real existing bridge in Campania Region.

The viaduct is characterized by the following main aspects:

• Spans of 41.00 meters;
• Box  paired piles with height of 21,90 and 41,22 meters;
• Reinforced concrete deck with 20 cm of thickness and 8 longitudinal prestressed beams
• Indirect type foundations with independent footings on piles;
• Containment abutments

Longitudinal Section

Transversal Section