The Institute of Structural Engineering at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, has been researching analytical techniques for the reliability and lifetime evaluation of civil engineering structures and infrastructure facilities since 2000.
In the course of this research, the elements of life cycle performance, life cycle analysis, and life cycle management were developed at an international level and also transferred into automated tools. These elements include tools from the linear, nonlinear, deterministic, and probabilistic finite element method, as well as analytical forecasting tools that can be used to reliably predict the structural and durability behavior of civil engineering structures. The concepts now developed can effectively support new standards developments, e.g., for the assessment of existing bridges, and accurately map the safety formats of infrastructures.
Furthermore, these formats also enable the realistic assessment and extension of service life in terms of the sustainability of infrastructures under changing climatic conditions. Within the framework of the Center, the institute will prepare the tools already developed for the extended assessment of buildings and infrastructures for engineering and standardization, thus making a significant contribution to expanding the tools to include an assessment of the sustainability of infrastructures under changing climatic conditions.
The institute intends to expand its excellence and become visible in the region and Europe in the following four areas:
- In the in-depth scientific analysis of engineering problems such as safety and reliability assessment, lifetime assessment of structural details of bridge construction and bridge structures as well as tunnels and protective structures in the Alpine region;
- In the inclusion of monitoring and proofloading methods in the in-depth scientific analysis according to te previous point;
- In the preparation and development of supporting tools and guidelines for standardization as already started in Horizon IM-SAFE and Interreg ATCZ190 Safebridge;
- In the extended linear and nonlinear deterministic and probabilistic performance, lifetime and sustainability analysis of engineering structures.
BUT-STM
The Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Structural Mechanics – as a project partner of BUT-STM – has many years of experience in basic and applied research projects.
The Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Structural Mechanics – as a project partner of BUT-STM – has many years of experience in basic and applied research projects. The BUT-STM partner has expertise and Research competencies covering a wide range of theoretical and practical topics; in the context of the project content, we can mention, for example, the improvement and automation of methods for the static and dynamic design of structures with an emphasis on real material properties and interaction with the environment, stochastic calculation mechanics, reliability and durability assessment of structures, risk engineering, modeling of structures using software systems based on the finite element method, fracture mechanics of quasi-brittle materials and composites, identification of material model parameters, etc. The partner’s project team has the necessary resources for the practical application of current trends promoted in developed countries, the so-called sustainable construction, the optimization of life-cycle costs in construction, risk analysis and design for performance, using expertise in theoretical, mathematical, statistical and sensitivity analysis, which also takes into account the material degradation mechanisms of concrete and reinforced concrete structures.
The BUT-STM partner has a long-standing history of collaborating with other educational and scientific institutions, as well as with partners from the engineering community, to share and transfer know-how between organizations, disseminate innovations, and increase the efficiency of using existing and new research and innovation capacities. The project partner’s role is central to computational modeling, inverse and reliability analysis, modeling the influence of material degradation on the durability of structures, and reliability optimization. Together with its Austrian partner, BOKU-IKI, the BUT-STM partner will continue to focus on fundamental and applied research, particularly through the development of theoretical methods and software tools, joint teaching and training activities for students and professionals, and the transfer of the integrated solution into Czech and Austrian practice.