The development of an innovative rock anchor prototype manufactured using high strength steel sheets produced locally in Sweden is the core of the PROWIND concept. Steel sheets provide a design freedom to easily manufacture complex geometries, which can be advantageous to enhance the shear force transmission in the bond-length segment of the anchor. The underlying challenge of this concept has been to design a solution which meets the design requirements of today and future technological advancements, all while keeping conventional installation practices in mind. The project followed a 4-step development process: (1) concept analysis and modelling, (2) small-scale prototypes testing and (3) large scale lab-validation and lastly (4) field validation. The performance of the developed rock anchor prototype and grouting material was experimentally quantified on both small and large-scale test specimens and also validated in full scale in the field concerning installation process, proof-loading and maintaining the prestress over time. The PROWIND anchors with the end feature with ribbed design have 4-5 times higher load bearing capacity. The experience from the anchor installation proved that the developed grout and anchors are faster and easier to install. The field test in two different geological conditions has proven that the news design is reducing the required anchorage length to just 1 meter. The restressing of anchors is fully possible with the proposed lock-off solution with a nut. All of those contribute to lower costs of installations and possibly longer service-life.

Rapporten redovisar resultaten från en förstudie som har genomförts under 2023 inom ramen för CFORT Centrum för fortifikatorisk kompetens. CFORT är en kompetensplattform med syfte att bygga upp och upprätthålla nationell fortifikatorisk kompetens för hela totalförsvarets behov. CFORT drivs i samverkan mellan Fortifikationsverket, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden och Försvarsmakten och där 15 myndigheter finns representerade i plattformens referensgrupp. Förstudien bygger på de resultatet från REINFORCE-projektet, som drivits inom CFORT och i huvudsak finansierats av EU:s fond för inre säkerhet ISF. Inom förstudien har befintliga standarder för fysisk säkerhet studerats och utvärderats med avseende på motståndsförmåga mot mer kvalificerade angrepp. Förstudiens slutsats är att en ny sammanhållen standard för fysisk säkerhet som tar höjd för hoten mot säkerhetskänslig verksamhet bör utformas och upprättas. Rapporten beskriver också övergripande hur en sådan standard och provmetod skulle kunna vara uppbyggd samt vilka utmaningar och möjligheter ett sådant arbete står inför. Slutligen ger rapporten vägledning till och förslag på det fortsatta arbetet.

Since each rock joint is unique by nature, the utilization of replicas in direct shear testing is required to carry out experimental parameter studies. However, information about the ability of the replicas to simulate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint and their dispersion in direct shear testing is lacking. With the aim to facilitate generation of high-quality direct shear test data from replicas, a novel component in the testing procedure is introduced by presenting two parameters for geometric quality assurance. The parameters are derived from surface comparisons of three-dimensional (3D) scanning data of the rock joint and its replicas. The first parameter, σmf, captures morphological deviations between the replica and the rock joint surfaces. σmf is derived as the standard deviation of the deviations between the coordinate points of the replica and the rock joint. Four sources of errors introduced in the replica manufacturing process employed in this study could be identified. These errors could be minimized, yielding replicas with σmf ≤ 0.06 mm. The second parameter is a vector, VHp100, which describes deviations with respect to the shear direction. It is the projection of the 100 mm long normal vector of the best-fit plane of the replica joint surface to the corresponding plane of the rock joint. |VHp100| was found to be less than or equal to 0.36 mm in this study. Application of these two geometric quality assurance parameters demonstrates that it is possible to manufacture replicas with high geometric similarity to the rock joint. In a subsequent paper (part 2), σmf and VHp100 are incorporated in a novel quality assurance method, in which the parameters shall be evaluated prior to direct shear testing. Replicas having parameter values below established thresholds shall have a known and narrow dispersion and imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint.

Each rock joint is unique by nature which means that utilization of replicas in direct shear tests is required in experimental parameter studies. However, a method to acquire knowledge about the ability of the replicas to imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint and their dispersion in direct shear testing is lacking. In this study, a novel method is presented for geometric quality assurance of replicas. The aim is to facilitate generation of high-quality direct shear testing data as a prerequisite for reliable subsequent analyses of the results. In Part 1 of this study, two quality assurance parameters, σmf and VHp100, are derived and their usefulness for evaluation of geometric deviations, i.e. geometric reproducibility, is shown. In Part 2, the parameters are validated by showing a correlation between the parameters and the shear mechanical behavior, which qualifies the parameters for usage in the quality assurance method. Unique results from direct shear tests presenting comparisons between replicas and the rock joint show that replicas fulfilling proposed threshold values of σmf < 0.06 mm and < 0.2 mm have a narrow dispersion and imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint in all aspects apart from having a slightly lower peak shear strength. The wear in these replicas, which have similar morphology as the rock joint, is in the same areas as in the rock joint. The wear is slightly larger in the rock joint and therefore the discrepancy in peak shear strength derives from differences in material properties, possibly from differences in toughness. It is shown by application of the suggested method that the quality assured replicas manufactured following the process employed in this study phenomenologically capture the shear strength characteristics, which makes them useful in parameter studies.

Projektet HCT City studerar hur HCT-konceptet (High Capacity Transport) kan appliceras i städer, genom piloter i Varberg och Stockholm samt analyser i Sundbyberg och Uppsala. I projektet testas hypotesen att HCT-konceptet kan förbättra både produktiviteten och transporteffektiviteten avsevärt och därmed minska utsläppen av CO2 och hälsovådliga emissioner, samtidigt som effekter avseende vägslitage och trafiksäkerhet minskas eller förblir oförändrade. Inom ramen för projektet har effekter adresserats vid utbyte av konventionella tunga fordon och kontroll mot HCT-fordon beträffande: trafiksäkerhet och påverkan/nedbrytning av gator, broar och vägar i tätorten. Denna rapport omfattar en fallstudie där kontrollerad fältmätning genomfördes på en utvald bro belägen på Österleden i Varberg. Mer specifikt utfördes deformationsmätning för att förstå konstruktionen verkningssätt beroende på bland annat fordonsvikt- och hastighet. De utförda mätningarna visar att brofarbanans nedböjning är generellt relativt liten och påkänningarna följaktligen är små vid passage av referensfordon och andra fordon under den aktuella mätperioden. Referensfordonets hastighet avspeglar sig i varaktigheten för brofarbanans nedböjning. Hastighet vid bropassagen verkar dock inte ha någon större inverkan på brofarbanans respons, vilket tyder på att den dynamiska effekten är liten för den aktuella bron.

Unreinforced brick masonry makes up today a significant piece of the European built environment, including not only residential buildings but also strategically important structures that are not designed to withstand blasts and impacts. Yet, it is difficult to accurately estimate the response of these structures and the extent of damage they sustain during such extreme loading conditions. This paper presents the implementation and discusses the results of laboratory impact tests conducted on natural-scale double-wythe unreinforced brick masonry walls, a typology that is frequently found in Northern Europe. The walls were spanning vertically between two reinforced concrete slabs and were subjected to low-velocity drop-weight pendulum tests in which they were repeatedly hit until the opening of a breach in the centre of the wall. The tests were instrumented with both hard-wired and optical measurements, the latter consisting of high-speed cameras and digital image correlation techniques, to face the difficulty of observing cracks and determining the deflections of the walls with adequate accuracy at the time of the impact. Investigated in these tests were the out-of-plane response of the walls and their capacity to resist the impacts. The axial load applied on the top of the walls was varied for two wall configurations and monitored throughout the tests to study the effect of arching on the failure mechanism produced and number of repeated hits needed to open the breach. Of interest was also the evidence of cracking, more specifically the way it initiated on the undamaged walls and next propagated upon consecutive hits. The data generated from these tests are made available to support further investigations on masonry structures subjected to extreme actions.

Unreinforced brick masonry makes up today a significant piece of the European built environment, including not only residential buildings but also strategically important structures that are not designed to withstand blasts and impacts. Yet, it is difficult to accurately estimate the response of these structures and the extent of damage they sustain during such extreme loading conditions. This paper presents the implementation and discusses the results of laboratory impact tests conducted on natural-scale double-wythe unreinforced brick masonry walls, a typology that is frequently found in Northern Europe. The walls were spanning vertically between two reinforced concrete slabs and were subjected to low-velocity drop-weight pendulum tests in which they were repeatedly hit until the opening of a breach in the center of the wall. The tests were instrumented with both hard-wired and optical measurements, the latter consisting of high-speed cameras and digital image correlation techniques, to face the difficulty of observing cracks and determining the deflections of the walls with adequate accuracy at the time of the impact. Investigated in these tests were the out-of-plane response of the walls and their capacity to resist the impacts. The axial load applied on the top of the walls was varied for two wall configurations and monitored throughout the tests to study the effect of arching on the failure mechanism produced and number of repeated hits needed to open the breach. Of interest was also the evidence of cracking, more specifically the way it initiated on the undamaged walls and next propagated upon consecutive hits. The data generated from these tests are made available to support further investigations on unreinforced masonry structures subjected to extreme actions.

Out-of-plane actions cause confined unreinforced masonry walls (URM) to develop what is known as an arching action. The role of arching is central in the resisting mechanisms of a wall; it contributes significantly to its loadbearing capacity as long as the wall’s deflections are minor, but gradually loses effect with increasing deflections, until collapse occurs. To date, limited experimental data is available on how arching develops in relation to the out-of-plane behaviour of the wall. This study brings new experimental evidence to this aspect. Quasi-static monotonic four-point bending tests were conducted on eleven brick wall strips, with reinforced concrete (RC) slabs affixed below and over the walls to simulate contact conditions of a typical construction system. The walls were tested vis-à-vis three different support conditions: simply supported, rigid, and non-rigid. The influence of these support conditions on the out-of-plane behaviour of the walls was studied on specimens with varying thickness – single and double wythe – and subjected to different levels of axial compression (or overload). While the former support condition was designed not to yield any arching inside the wall (unconfined masonry), the intermediate and latter solutions generated an arching action that was proportional respectively to the elongation of the wall (partially confined masonry), and its deflection (confined masonry). The walls were tested inside a bi-axial test setup that allowed not only the out-of-plane force but also the arching action to be measured, corroborating its central role in the development of the out-of-plane capacity of the walls. To support the observations, deformation characteristics and crack distributions were determined using two optical measurement systems placed in front and to the side of the walls, making use of the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. The results of the tests are discussed in terms of failure mechanism as well as force and displacement capacity of the walls in relation to the investigated parameters. The test data is collected and made available to help with future research on the out-of-plane capacity of URM walls.

The purpose of CF2T project is to develop a competitive foundation, immerse it as part of a precommercial project and validate the concept in a real sea environment. The innovative foundation will be designed to decrease construction costs, with modular interfaces to allow an installation in several packages (foundation parts, ballasts, turbine) in order to limit the installation vessel’s crane capacity requirement, which will also reduce installation costs. The different alternatives to reduce the structure construction costs and modularity will be evaluated including the design of a hybrid foundation combining concrete and steel. The new foundation should also have an adaptive interface with the seabed in order to avoid any seabed preparation. In addition, the project will develop a monitoring system to have a better understanding of loads applied to the structure for future foundations developments. This monitoring will allow to carry out a survey of the structural health for preventive maintenance which will contribute to improve reliability of the foundation. This report is the first deliverable in WP6 (Foundation Monitoring), namely D6.1 Sensor characteristics and implementation report. RISE led the work in collaboration with SAITEC and ALKIT. This report proposes sensor characteristics and implementation for the foundation of tidal turbine designed within the project. A literature review is firstly included on Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), relevant SHM techniques and SHM’s applicability to both concrete and offshore structures. Fibre optics, specifically Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG), were identified to be the most suitable solution for SHM of the concrete foundation. Critical measurement areas and performance indicators for the concrete foundation were identified and a detailed measurement scheme was proposed. Implementation on the laboratory scale was studied for both material and component levels, i.e., steel reinforcement and concrete surface. It was observed that the fibre optics were able to measure the distribution of strains coherently and accurately on steel reinforcement subjected to tensile loading, all while proving to be durable against high levels of corrosion. Detection of strain in the concrete surface which could indicate tilting and/or onset of cracking was also possible with the proposed fibre optic system.

The purpose of CF2T project is to develop a competitive foundation, immerse it as part of a precommercial project and validate the concept in a real sea environment. The innovative foundation will be designed to decrease construction costs, with modular interfaces to allow an installation in several packages (foundation parts, ballasts, turbine) in order to limit the installation vessel’s crane capacity requirement, which will also reduce installation costs. The different alternatives to reduce the structure construction costs and modularity will be evaluated including the design of a hybrid foundation combining concrete and steel. The new foundation should also have an adaptive interface with the seabed in order to avoid any seabed preparation. In addition, the project will develop a monitoring system to have a better understanding of loads applied to the structure for future foundations developments. This monitoring will allow to carry out a survey of the structural health for preventive maintenance which will contribute to improve reliability of the foundation. This report is the second deliverable in WP6 (Foundation Monitoring), namely D6.2 Sensor implemented and calibrated in proof-of-concept. RISE led the work with collaborative efforts from ALKIT. The proof-of-concept was proposed by RISE to enable the implementation of the proposed and developed monitoring system based on fibre optics in a representative reinforced concrete test object. This report covers the implementation in the proof-of-concept, the execution of experiment with mechanical loading on the test object, as well as the calibration of the given sensors and verification using secondary measuring techniques. The results show a complete characterization of the structure strain response along several loading cycles and the compatibility between the fibre optics-based sensors and the strain gauges validating the optical solution for structural monitoring. The system showed its capability for crack detection and also showed a good consistency of the measurements under repeated cycles. Lastly, a description of requirements and details for taking this proof-of-concept to the next phase of offshore monitoring of the concrete foundation is provided.