SPINE: Resilience-Based Design of Biologically Inspired Columns for Next-Generation Accelerated Bridge Construction

基于弹性的设计方法在新桥梁等结构的设计中起着重要的作用。桥梁的结构构件往往直接暴露在环境中，没有任何保护措施。尽管生命周期和可持续性标准已纳入新的设计准则，但仍然没有设计和施工技术能够完全满足未来对具有弹性和可持续发展的交通基础设施的需求。这项研究的目的是为一种耐用、低维护、低成本和可拆卸的快速桥梁施工技术提供创新和变革性的工程解决方案，该技术对环境威胁和自然灾害具有弹性。解决方案将包括一种全新的基于弹性的桥梁设计方法和受生物启发的组合柱，用于下一代加速桥梁的建设。为了实现这一目标，本研究将构建一种创新的组合桥柱，其灵感来自于人类脊柱的力学。在人类的脊柱中，椎间盘提供灵活性，从人体的运动中耗散能量，并吸收和传递力量，而不会损害脊椎骨。拟建的脊椎桥柱将使用预制的复合材料节段(椎骨)建造。一种新的智能复合材料将被开发出来，并用于这些固体复合节段(“椎间盘”)之间。这将防止椎骨相互摩擦，通过摩擦传递剪切力，吸收由于椎骨摇动而产生的冲击，并在动态载荷下提供机械阻尼。最后，椎骨和椎间盘将使用无粘结的复合后张力腱(纵向韧带)捆绑在一起，以在承受侧向力时在柱子中提供自我定心机制。在这项长达24个月的研究中，将通过实验测试和数值模拟来研究新脊柱的基本科学。在整个项目期间，将组织一系列的审查会议、对学术界和业界合作伙伴的短期访问，以及一个国际研讨会。这种互动被认为对共同发展新概念、转让专门知识以及弹性和可持续的加速桥梁建设至关重要。

A resilience-based design approach plays an important role in the design of new bridges and other structures. The structural elements of bridges are often directly exposed to the environment without any protection. Even though life-cycle and sustainability criteria have been incorporated in new design guidelines, there is still no design and construction technique that can fully address the future demands of a resilient and sustainable transport infrastructure. The aim of this research is to produce innovative and transformative engineering solutions for a durable, low-maintenance, low-cost, and demountable accelerated bridge construction technique, which is resilient to environmental threats, and natural hazards. The solutions will include a completely new resilience-based bridge design approach and biologically inspired composite columns for next-generation accelerated bridge construction.Towards this goal, this research will construct an innovative composite bridge column, which is inspired by the mechanics of the human spine. In the human spine, intervertebral discs provide flexibility, dissipate energy from the movements of the human body, and absorb and transmit forces without damaging the vertebrae bones. The proposed spinal bridge column will be constructed using precast composite segments (the 'vertebrae'). A new smart composite material will be developed and used in between of these solid composite segments (the 'intervertebral discs'). This will keep the vertebrae from rubbing against each other, transfer the shear forces through friction, absorb the impact due to the rocking of vertebrae, and provide mechanical damping under dynamic loading. Finally, the vertebrae and intervertebral discs will be tied together using an unbonded composite post-tensioning tendon (the 'longitudinal ligament'), to provide self-centring mechanism in the column when subjected to lateral force. In this 24 moths research, the underlying science of the new spinal column will be investigated through experimental testing and numerical modelling. During the entire duration of the project a series of review meetings, short visits to academics as well as industry partners, and an international workshop will be organised. This interaction is deemed vital for the co-development of new concepts, the transfer of know-how and the resilient and sustainable accelerated bridge construction.