PROJECT. COLLABORATION. INNOVATION.
SEED FUND 2024
PRODIGI: Probabilistic Digital Twins for Bridges
This project is dedicated to enhancing bridge maintenance through the development of a probabilistic digital twin—a sophisticated virtual model that mirrors the real-time behaviour of bridges and predicts future conditions using probabilistic algorithms. Currently,bridge monitoring often relies on reactive measures that can be costly and inefficient, potentially leading to safety risks and infrastructure failures that disrupt daily life and incur significant repair expenses.
The goal of the project is to integrate real-time sensor data into a dynamic digital twin model that not only reflects the current state of thestructure but also uses advanced probabilistic methods to forecast potential structural issues. This approach enables us to estimatethe likelihood of future problems, allowing for proactive, data-driven decisions that can prevent costly repairs, enhance bridge safety, and achieve sustainability of existing infrastructure.
This project will use the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge in New Ross as a test- case for the feasibility of a complex digital twin, withdata facilitated by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). By using the data available for this bridge, the project will not only advance ourunderstanding and application of digital twin technology but also demonstrate the practical benefits of incorporating probabilisticmodels into the routine care of critical infrastructure, marking a significant advancement in public safety and infrastructure management.
An example of a digital twin for bridges can be seen with the Hamburg smartBRIDGE.
Applicant’s name and RPO member:
Dr. Ciarán Hanley – University College Cork
Collaborators
Principal Investigator
Dr. Ciarán Hanley
University College Cork
Ciarán is a Lecturer in Structural Engineering at University College Cork. He is a Chartered Engineer with 10 years’ experience in the design and assessment of bridges, marine and civil structures; and is the author more than a dozen technical publications on performance-based design and life-cycle assessment of bridges, structural safety and reliability assessment of bridges, and multivariate analysis of bridge management systems. He is a technical reviewer of the international journals Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, Proceedings of the ICE – Bridge Engineering, and Proceedings of the ICE – Infrastructure Asset Management, as well as a board member of the Civil Engineering Research Association of Ireland. He was a participant of the EU research project TU1406: Quality specifications for roadway bridges, standardization at a European Level, and is Rapporteur for the succeeding organisation EuroStruct. He was a finalist for Engineers Ireland Chartered Engineer of the Year in 2019.
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