Infrastructures and buildings are subject to increasing stress caused by a rise in traffic volume, dynamic loads, ageing of buildings and natural hazards. However, this is accompanied by increased requirements in terms of availability and resource conservation.
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology investigates structures such as bridges and buildings in order to evaluate their capacity to withstand a wide variety of impacts and dynamic loads. An important research objective of the AIT is to ensure a highly resilient, resource-saving and safe transport network.
Vibrations and the resulting dynamic effects influence the load-bearing behaviour, the lifespan and the serviceability of buildings. One of the core objectives in this research area is the analysis of the structural dynamics of buildings. Through a combination of in-situ measurements and mathematical methods, the AIT experts are able to create realistic models for structures and derive appropriate measures.
Structural ageing and life cycle analysis is a central topic in transport infrastructure research. For optimized maintenance planning, it is important to objectively evaluate the current condition of the structure, to make forecasts about its future development and, if necessary, to monitor it metrologically. It is thus possible to make reliable building assessments or life cycle forecasts. Applications from the fields of measurement technology, building monitoring, evaluation of measurement uncertainties as well as numerical mechanical and physical simulations are used in this context.
The usability of the infrastructure under various dynamic loads is another focus of research at the AIT. Core competences include the evaluation and reduction of vibration problems and the impact of vibrations on people, buildings and the environment. With MoSeS, the Mobile Seismic Simulator, AIT researchers have a highly developed vibration generator at their disposal for in situ measurements. It can be used to simulate vibrations, e.g. from passing trains, and to derive measures for vibration protection. The AIT also offers certified vibration and shock measurements.
