Final Report Summary - SMART-NEST (Smart Technologies for Transport Safety - Innovation Cluster Nesting)
The main objective of the project was to establish a vibrant European-level network of three SMEs and three Academic partners in a new and rapidly emerging research field at the crossroads of the structural engineering and smart technologies. The SME partners are Adaptronica (Poland), I-Deal Technologies (Germany) and Cedrat Technologies (France), while the Academic partners are Institute for Fundamental Technological Research (Poland), Saarland University (Germany) and Ecole Centrale de Lyon (France).
The general scientific aims of the project were:
--- in terms of the "end product"---a new class of smart structures (semi-actively controlled/impact- or vibration-resistant, capable of preserving integrity in critical conditions under unpredictable loads, capable of post-accident self-diagnosis);
--- in terms of the "methodology"---new techniques for identification of structural damages and loads and new semi-active strategies for optimum structural adaptation;
--- in terms of the "technology"---promising smart technologies for new semi-active strategies for optimum structural adaptation and robust self-diagnosis.
In particular, these research objectives were being fulfilled through the six Work Packages: Structural Health Monitoring, Load identification, Structural Adaptation Strategies, Smart sensors and actuators, Controllers and driving electronics, Integrated systems and applications.
The project started on 1st January 2012 and from that time it was being developed according to the Description of Work set forth in Annex 1. The project title is "Smart Technologies for Transport Safety---Innovation Cluster Nesting" and the research within the project has become accordingly multi-faceted. Research and training methodology has been developed on the basis of interdisciplinarity and knowledge integration between the partners. An important and intended effect has been fostering inter-sectoral Academia-Industry skills and mobility of the involved researchers. This increases their success prospects in both sectors and has led to a cross-sectoral transfer of knowledge between the participant institutions. The Project has provided the fellows with a cohesive interdisciplinary training and research experience in a new professional environment. Strong interdisciplinarity of the research and training programme has been implied by the need for integration and implementation of knowledge, techniques and technologies scattered among various disciplines. The project has been based on in-depth studies in system identification and model updating, and has proceeded to identification of dynamic loads, a prerequisite for optimum strategies for semi-active structural adaptation to unknown loads. In parallel, relevant smart sensors/actuators, driving electronics and self-diagnosis techniques have been pursued. Finally, a hardware demonstrator was implemented in the form of a dynamic railway scale with a real-time educational interface at the interactive science museum "Copernicus Science Center" in Warsaw, Poland.
During the years 2012-2015, 37 secondments have been completed by 23 different researchers, a total of almost 164 person months. All secondments were inter-sectoral (Academia-Industry). The initial secondees worked mostly on more theoretical WPs 1-3, but then the research effort gradually shifted towards the more technology-oriented WPs 4-6. The project ended with a demonstrator displayed at the Copernicus Science Centre (CNK) in Warsaw, Poland (an interactive science museum). During numerous discussions with the CNK staff, it has become increasingly clear that demonstrators that exploit the concept of adaptive impact absorption cannot be put on display because of concerns of security of the visitors. Therefore, a remote railway weigh-in-motion system was developed and manufactured. The system was installed on a Vistula railway bridge near CNK, and it features weighing and speed measurement capabilities. The results are transferred onine to CNK, coupled with a real-time simulation of bridge response and educational material and displayed for visitors.
The reseach and knowledge transfer achieved within the project has led to 2 European and 9 Polish patent applications in the area of adaptive impact absorrption and smart actuators.
The project website is located at http://smart.ippt.pan.pl/smart-nest
Project logo is included with this report as an attachment.
The general scientific aims of the project were:
--- in terms of the "end product"---a new class of smart structures (semi-actively controlled/impact- or vibration-resistant, capable of preserving integrity in critical conditions under unpredictable loads, capable of post-accident self-diagnosis);
--- in terms of the "methodology"---new techniques for identification of structural damages and loads and new semi-active strategies for optimum structural adaptation;
--- in terms of the "technology"---promising smart technologies for new semi-active strategies for optimum structural adaptation and robust self-diagnosis.
In particular, these research objectives were being fulfilled through the six Work Packages: Structural Health Monitoring, Load identification, Structural Adaptation Strategies, Smart sensors and actuators, Controllers and driving electronics, Integrated systems and applications.
The project started on 1st January 2012 and from that time it was being developed according to the Description of Work set forth in Annex 1. The project title is "Smart Technologies for Transport Safety---Innovation Cluster Nesting" and the research within the project has become accordingly multi-faceted. Research and training methodology has been developed on the basis of interdisciplinarity and knowledge integration between the partners. An important and intended effect has been fostering inter-sectoral Academia-Industry skills and mobility of the involved researchers. This increases their success prospects in both sectors and has led to a cross-sectoral transfer of knowledge between the participant institutions. The Project has provided the fellows with a cohesive interdisciplinary training and research experience in a new professional environment. Strong interdisciplinarity of the research and training programme has been implied by the need for integration and implementation of knowledge, techniques and technologies scattered among various disciplines. The project has been based on in-depth studies in system identification and model updating, and has proceeded to identification of dynamic loads, a prerequisite for optimum strategies for semi-active structural adaptation to unknown loads. In parallel, relevant smart sensors/actuators, driving electronics and self-diagnosis techniques have been pursued. Finally, a hardware demonstrator was implemented in the form of a dynamic railway scale with a real-time educational interface at the interactive science museum "Copernicus Science Center" in Warsaw, Poland.
During the years 2012-2015, 37 secondments have been completed by 23 different researchers, a total of almost 164 person months. All secondments were inter-sectoral (Academia-Industry). The initial secondees worked mostly on more theoretical WPs 1-3, but then the research effort gradually shifted towards the more technology-oriented WPs 4-6. The project ended with a demonstrator displayed at the Copernicus Science Centre (CNK) in Warsaw, Poland (an interactive science museum). During numerous discussions with the CNK staff, it has become increasingly clear that demonstrators that exploit the concept of adaptive impact absorption cannot be put on display because of concerns of security of the visitors. Therefore, a remote railway weigh-in-motion system was developed and manufactured. The system was installed on a Vistula railway bridge near CNK, and it features weighing and speed measurement capabilities. The results are transferred onine to CNK, coupled with a real-time simulation of bridge response and educational material and displayed for visitors.
The reseach and knowledge transfer achieved within the project has led to 2 European and 9 Polish patent applications in the area of adaptive impact absorrption and smart actuators.
The project website is located at http://smart.ippt.pan.pl/smart-nest
Project logo is included with this report as an attachment.