The primary objective is to solidify the developed framework for response analysis of critical sea-crossing transport infrastructure and assessment of traffic/vehicle performance, elevate the technology readiness level (TRL), and pave the road toward commercialization.
This can be done via further testing and calibration by using real-life data as well as the development of user-friendly computer software code.
In addition, InfraGuard will assess the IPR registration and investigate business development strategies.
Critical transport infrastructures such as bridges and tunnels are important national assets, and their conditions and remaining service life are of great importance for the safe transport of passengers and goods over complex terrains.
In the Norwegian context, the fjord crossing along the coastline is very challenging, and sophisticated long floating bridges and submerged floating tunnels are identified as appealing solutions.
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More about the project
The assessment of the travel comfort and safety on such critical transport infrastructure in environmentally exposed locations is fundamental to the determination of adaptable driving speed limits and traffic safety.
Conventionally, this is often made based on intuition or subjective experience. Very little knowledge exists regarding the sophisticated traffic conditions/vehicle behaviour on long floating bridges, and existing studies neglect either the dynamic effect of vehicles or the combined effects of traffic and environmental conditions.
To this end, InfraGuard aims to develop a systematic framework with differs from existing methods by innovatively incorporating the traffic flow conditions and employing a simplified, justifiable approach to the complex vehicle-bridge interaction mechanism.
The former can effectively capture the effect of realistic, dynamic traffic actions on floating bridges and the latter enables easy use and adoption by practising engineers and decision-makers without the heavy computational demands and sophisticated modelling skills as required by fully coupled analyses.
This project aims to deliver a compiled computer application with a user-friendly interface for easy adoption by various user groups.
The outcomes of InfraGuard will impact the scientific community and business sector in different ways.
Scientifically, this multidisciplinary project will generate important knowledge in the field of infrastructure/bridge engineering, vehicle/traffic engineering and marine technology.
Furthermore, the framework can serve as a solid basis for further detailed studies in relevant disciplines, e.g., bridge health monitoring, traffic behaviour and associated energy consumption assessment.
The private and public sectors including engineering service providers and national infrastructure administrators will benefit as a further development of the framework and software package will facilitate design practice and infrastructure/traffic management in a scientifically sound and cost-effective manner.
InfraGuard also answers to the societal needs for a greener, smarter, and more sustainable management and maintenance of existing critical infrastructure.
