FOCUS: Intelligent Fibre Optic Monitoring to Inform the Construction of Underground Services

英国建筑业是一个价值数十亿英镑的产业。虽然它是英国经济中创造实物资产最重要的一环，但人们普遍认为它的创新速度很慢。与其他行业相比，高风险和巨大的错误成本促进了保守程度的提高。因此，变化往往是迭代的和谨慎的。在英国政府的支持下，通过实施各种建筑计划，如“建筑2025”和“转型建筑”，该行业开始以变革的方式拥抱技术。技术革命已经在“地上”建筑活动中进行，模块化建筑和建筑信息模型是主要的例子。地下建筑取得类似成果的最大障碍之一是围绕建筑在施工过程中如何与土壤相互作用的不确定性。“土壤-结构相互作用”（SSI）。土-结构相互作用在地下施工中起着至关重要的作用，但用于预测它们的工具仍然非常保守。这是因为SSI的预测模型不存在，过于简化，或者是根据实验室中该过程的模型尺度复制品获得的测量数据进行校准的，基本上代表了“理想”的土壤-结构界面。本提案中描述的工作将为应用于地下建筑的SSI设计发展基础工程科学。实验室测试和数值模拟将用于阐明土-结构界面行为的力学，如应变水平，应力水平和时间对土-结构接触应力和孔隙水压力发展的作用。将开发智能监测系统来测量和监测现场施工项目的土壤-结构接触应力，以提供(i)对开发的设计方法进行严格验证的现场数据，以及（ii）向现场工程师提供实时、自动化的反馈，以告知施工过程，并提供不利反应的“早期预警”。利用光纤传感技术的最新进展，开发新型多向接触应力传感器。新型传感器将减轻传统传感器的局限性，如传感器的过度灵活性（实际上会影响传感器要测量的土壤应力场）以及对电磁噪声和水损伤的抗扰性。将开发一个多向界面剪切装置来验证接触应力传感器，并为实验室中“理想”土壤结构界面的行为提供额外的见解。监测系统将采用贝叶斯非参数形式的机器学习算法，以便将以前建筑项目的先前数据与新获取的数据综合起来，以提供强大的数据驱动决策过程。该监控系统将与行业合作伙伴一起部署在英国的现场建设项目中。根据现场监测、实验室测试和数值模拟，将开发一套专门为地下施工作业量身定制的新设计方法。这项计划所发展的创新和科技，可让建造业获取和利用智能和可操作的数据，从而节省时间和金钱，并改善建筑安全。这将有助于英国成为全球快速增长的建筑相关服务市场的全球中心。

UK construction is a multi-billion pound industry. While it is the most vital cog in the UK economy for creating physical assets, it is widely regarded as slow to innovate. High risks and the significant cost of mistakes promotes a level of conservatism which is much greater compared to other industries. Change therefore tends to be iterative and cautious. Supported by the UK Government through the implementation of various construction initiatives, such as 'Construction 2025' and 'Transforming Construction', the industry is beginning to embrace technology in a transformative way. The technological revolution is already under way for 'above-ground' construction activities, with modular construction and building information modelling being primary examples. One of the biggest obstacles to underground construction making similar gains is uncertainty surrounding how structures interact with soils during construction operations i.e. 'soil-structure interaction' (SSI). Soil-structure interaction plays a critical role in underground construction operations yet the tools that are used to predict them remain remarkably over-conservative. This is because predictive models for SSI are non-existent, over-simplified or are calibrated against measured data obtained from model-scale replicas of the process in the laboratory, essentially representing an 'ideal' soil-structure interface. The work described in this proposal will develop the underpinning engineering science for SSI design applied to underground construction. Laboratory testing and numerical modelling will be used to elucidate the mechanics of soil-structure interface behaviour such as the role of strain level, stress level and time on the development of soil-structure contact stresses and pore water pressures. Intelligent monitoring systems will be developed to measure and monitor soil-structure contact stresses on live construction projects to provide (i) field data for rigorous validation of developed design methods and (ii) real-time, automated feedback to site engineers to inform construction processes and provide 'early warning' of adverse responses. Recent advances in fibre optic sensing will be exploited to develop novel multi-directional contact stress sensors. The new sensors will alleviate limitations associated with traditional transducers such as excessive sensor flexibility (which actually influences the soil stress field the sensors are intended to measure) and immunity to electromagnetic noise and water damage. A multi-directional interface shear apparatus will be developed to validate the contact stress sensors and provide additional insight into the behaviour of an 'ideal' soil-structure interface in the laboratory. The monitoring system will employ machine learning algorithms in the form of Bayesian non-parametrics such that prior data from previous construction projects may be synthesised with newly-acquired data to provide a robust data-driven decision-making process. The monitoring system will be deployed on live construction projects in the UK alongside industry partners. A suite of new design methods tailored specifically for underground construction operations will be developed, informed by the field monitoring, laboratory testing and numerical modelling. Embracing the innovation and technology developed in this project will allow the construction industry to obtain and utilise intelligent and actionable data that can save time and money, and improve construction safety. This will contribute to the UK becoming a global hub for the rapidly growing market for construction-related services throughout the world.