Seismic simulations to build better bridges

Bringing together earthquake experts from the EU and the United States, a new project is developing cutting-edge technology to test the safety of complex structures.

Both Europe and North America have highly qualified seismology researchers and engineers who are investigating the most advanced means for promoting more solid construction of infrastructure. Many benefits could be realised if the teams on both sides of the Atlantic could join hands and work in synergy to enhance the construction of key structures such as bridges. The EU-funded project EXCHANGE-SSI is working to achieve this vision.

The project has already overseen the exchange of researchers between EU and United States institutions to study seismic soil–structure interaction effects on bridges. So far, the joint team has selected earthquake ground motion scenarios for a specifically chosen bridge. It investigated the effect of ground motion characteristics on the inelastic response of structures and calculated the stiffness of the abutment–embankment system. The results will be applied to a pivotal hybrid experiment to be performed at the end of the project.

Other accomplishments include development of interactive software to select ground motions that will be used in the seismic assessment procedure of the bridge under study. The software, developed at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, can be downloaded online. The team also performed a geographically distributed, multi-platform simulation analysis for the case study bridge chosen. This involved two universities in Greece, one in Italy and one in the United States.

Importantly, the project is set to perform for the first time a sophisticated hybrid experiment for bridge engineering purposes involving six partners from France, Greece, Italy and the United States. It will also encourage research exchange, knowledge transfer and joint workshops between the EU and the United States to further this important field.

Related link:
http://cordis.europa.eu