ReBounce (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019): Integrated resilience assessment framework for bridges and transport networks exposed to hydraulic hazards (Grant agreement ID: 895432)

PI: Dr Stergios A Mitoulis  |  Marie-Curie Research Fellow: Dr Marianna Loli

Industrial Partners:  IFSTTAR (France), Dr Franziska Schmidt |  JBA Trust (UK), Prof Rob Lamb


ReBounce will deliver for the first time in the international literature a unique integrated framework for the quantification of risk and resilience of flood-critical bridges and transport networks. The research output of ReBounce will be an enabler for bridge and network resilience assessment against floods and a facilitator of decision-making in resource allocation strategies for EU bridges and transport network owners and operators. A strong case-study has been planned on the second longest bridge in Greece the 1372m-long and 45-year old Polyfytos/Servia Bridge, which suffered deterioration from multi-hazard stressors, including the 1995 earthquake, corrosion and hydraulic actions.

ReBounce objectives:

The ultimate goal of the project is to deliver a robust framework for Quantitative Risk and Resilience Analysis of bridges and transport networks exposed to flood-induced stressors. Core to this venture is the development of new, adaptive fragility and recovery functions for delivering original resilience models for different bridge typologies met in the EU and evaluating their impact on the operability of transport networks. ReBounce has the following bottom-up measurable objectives:

Obj.1 Define realistic and sufficient flood intensity measures for bridge typologies found in Europe.

Obj.2 Deliver novel adaptive fragility models for representative typologies of bridges in Europe, incorporating temporal variations with respect to the cumulative effects of scour and debris built-up (SDF history), material deterioration with age and improvements due to mitigation measures.

Obj.3 Develop original multi-parameter restoration functions capable of modelling the effect of restoration tasks on the functionality of bridges, damaged due to SDF, over time.

Obj.4 Apply the proposed framework for assessing the resilience of critical EU road network.

Here is a video version of the Presentation that Dr Marianna Loli prepared for the MDPI IOCI on the use of UAVS for disaster response. It is based on the results of a field reconnaissance mission launched after the devastating passage of the Mediterranean cyclone Ianos, over Greece, in September 2020.

The presentation focuses on bridge failures, which took place in abundance causing long disruptions to transportation and sustained isolation of rural communities. UAV mapping was employed for efficient and timely documentation of perishable data, which has been critical for the accurate assessment of damages and the identification and further study of failure mechanisms. Generation of 3D digital models after consecutive flights allowed monitoring of recovery, restoration processes, traffic reinstatement, and resilience in subsequent events.

Furthermore, the use of drones allowed conduction of inspections with minimum of human interactions during the COVID-19 outbreak. The produced 3D models of the structures are powerful 3D visualization tools which were found to compensate for the inability to physically visit the site, for the researchers that were affected by travel restrictions.

Ongoing research is dealing with forensic analysis and further numerical investigation of bridge vulnerability to flood hazard and the complex mechanisms of flow-soil-structure interaction.

The research work has been funded by the EU H2020 MSCA ReBounce

Thanks to:

Dr Marianna Loli, Dr John Manousakis, Dr Rallis Kourkoulis, and Prof Dimitrios Zekkos.

https://metainfrastructure.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Sorter-video-Marianna-Loli-3.mp4