The SMARTI ETN was built around the idea of changing the culture of the transport infrastructure industry by growing the next generation of researchers that will actually exploit the change. In order to do that, the first 24 months have focused on consolidating the network, recruitment of the 15 fellows, training, research activities and dissemination. The second period provided the remaining part of the training and focused primarily on completing the research projects towards a PhD while also increasing the dissemination events as follows:
RESEARCH
To implement the SMARTI vision, multi-disciplinary research in the adoption/development of the smart solutions for smartening the transport infrastructure is needed at all levels ranging from materials to infrastructure components, to then going to even bigger scale from the network level to cities/province/regions. Along these lines and within some of these areas, the 15 early-stage researchers of the SMARTI ETN developed smart solutions here identified as “Prototypes”. Each prototype has been conceived in the form of a 1) technology, 2) asset management methodology or 3) novel decision-making framework, and the development has been carried targeting different the four pillars of the vision.
In Work Package 2, ESR1-8 fellows worked in the optimisation of materials, technologies and methodologies as follows:
• ESR1 - Ignacio Nilo Ruiz Riancho, oil capsules for self-healing asphalt
• ESR2 - Maria Barriera, use of nanosensors in pavement and characterisation
• ESR3 - Domenico Vizzari, semi-transparent layer of asphalt for energy harvesting from sunlight
• ESR4 - Giulia Siino, multicriteria decision-making model for management of the deterioration of railways embankments
• ESR5 - Rufus Adjetey Nii-Adjei, energy harvesting systems in railways
• ESR6 - Iain Dunn, model of a multi-spam beam under Poissonian loading for bridges
• ESR7 - Mario Manosalvas, the concept of “Responsive Asphalt” through the usage of piezoelectric sensors being embedded in trial sections
• ESR8 - Gaspare Giancontieri, tools and equipment able to improve the characterisation of complex materials
In Work Package 3, ESR9-15 worked in the definition of frameworks and methodologies as follows:
• ESR9 - Philippe Sohouenou, a framework to quantitatively assess the resilience of road networks to extreme events
• ESR10 - Konstantinos Manosalvas framework to combine LCA and LCCA, supported by a circular economy in transport infrastructures
• ESR11 - Pawan Deep, model to simulate the pavement response close to the load for joints
• ESR12 - Ronald Roberts, authenticate the accuracy of the digital techniques for pavement distress identification
• ESR13 - Antonino Scalia, methods of safety assessment for earthworks located along with road and rail transportation networks
• ESR14 - Paulina Leiva Padilla, mechanomutable binders for asphalt mixtures
• ESR15 - Natasha Baloch, instrumentation of pavements
TRAINING
The 15 ESRs were recruited locally by each institution; however, each fellow had other supervisors from academia and/or industry affiliated to the mini-consortium of each project. Furthermore, the Doctoral Studies Panel coordinated by the University of Nottingham ensured that the PhD development of the fellows could go in the right direction.
Furthermore, fellows and specialists had the chance to work together within network-wide events where the consortium partners combined and shared expertise. The main events were offered in advanced scientific and not-scientific thematic training modules. The Coordination, in collaboration with local partners, organised 7 thematic training weeks.
DISSEMINATION AND OUTREACH
SMARTI ETN website (
http://smartietn.eu(opens in new window)) was the main dissemination tool linked to all social media accounts. Several dissemination events have been attended, and various items have been further produced and can be downloaded from the website.
MAIN RESULTS
The main result of the SMARTI ETN project was to successfully train the seeds of a new era of professionals able to design, construct, operate and maintain the transport network of the future. Furthermore, the project delivered the SMARTI Prototypes and Guidelines: two reports presenting the results of the individual projects (prototypes) as well as a collaborative effort to present the necessary steps towards SMARTI (roadmaps).
