Development of methods for risk assessment of wind turbine support structures and bridges

For both new and existing structures, it is important to be able to take rational decisions on inspections, operation, maintenance and repairs accounting for both uncertainties and consequences. The decisions can be related to both planning at the design stage, as well as decisions during the lifetime of the structure. This can be performed using methods for risk assessment. In this tasks the framework described in the JCSS (Joint Committee for Structural Safety) guideline for risk assessment, will be used as basis. The objective is to develop methods for risk-based assessment for bridges and wind turbines, using information from inspections, sensors and condition monitoring, i.e. to apply data from measurements in rational decision making.

Keywords:reliability, risk analysis, condition monitoring, bridges, wind turbines.

AAU – Aalborg University (Aalborg, Denmark)

Aalborg University (Denmark)

PhD director: Prof. John Dalsgaard Sørensen (AAU)

36 months
From 01.01.2017 to 31.12.2019

The PhD defence is scheduled for Tuesday 16 March 2021, at 14:00.
Download the digital invitation

The members of the jury are:
Assessment committee

  • Assoc. Prof. Peter Frigaard, Dept. of the Built Environment, Aalborg University, Denmark (chairman)
  • Prof. Poul Henning Kirkegård, Aarhus University, Denmark
  • Prof. Dimitri Val, Heriot-Watt University, Denmark

PhD supervisor

  • Prof. John Dalsgaard Sørensen, Dept. of the Built Environment, Aalborg University, Denmark

Moderator

  • Assoc. Prof. Peter Frigaard, Dept. of the Built Environment, Aalborg University, Denmark

The main aim is to develop methods for risk-based assessment for bridges and wind turbines, using information from inspections, sensors and condition monitoring, i.e. to apply data from measurements in rational decision making.

The project for ESR11 has the followinf objectives:

  • Development of methods for risk assessment of wind turbine support structures and bridges.
  • Identification of data from inspections, sensors and condition monitoring systems needed for decision making.
  • Modelling of adverse events (both serviceability and ultimate limit states) and identification of methods and tools for estimation of the probability of the adverse events.
  • Modelling of consequences of adverse events using information from industrial partners.
  • Development of a reference set of typical decision alternatives for application for bridges and wind turbine support structures.
  • Identification and development of illustrative computer tools for decision making.
  • Illustration of the tools for industrial application by representative examples.
  • Development of a risk-based framework for risk assessment of wind turbine. support structures and bridges considering especially information from condition monitoring and inspections.
  • Development of illustrative computer tools for decision making.
  • Test and application for wind support structures.
  • Test and application for bridge elements.
  • Framework for risk-based assessment of wind turbine support structures and bridges.
  • Illustrative implementations at real structures: a bridge and a wind turbine.
  • 3 accepted peer-reviewed papers.
  • Two presentations at national/international conferences.
  • Presentations at workshops and for potential end-users.
  • Successfully defended PhD thesis.
  • PHIMECA (Cournon d'Auvergne, France)
    December 2018
    Decision support tools using probabilistic methods
  • COWI (Kongens Lyngby, Denmark)
    3 months in 2019
    Risk-based tools for design of wind turbine support structures
  • Joint Committee on Structural Safety: Risk Assessment in Engineering Principles, System Representation & Risk Criteria. JCSS Publication, http://www.jcss.byg.dtu.dk/Publications, 2008
  • Raiffa H., Schlaifer R. (1961)
    Applied statistical decision theory
    New York, Wiley (2000).

Publications

Risk assessment - With application for bridges and wind turbines

Outreach activities

ESR11 Sima Rastayesh:

  • Maintains and updates an individual blog on a regular basis. Read her posts.
  • Recorded a video as done within the so-called Three Minute Thesis (3MT®). Watch the video.

Contact

Contact

ESR11: Sima Rastayesh (AAU)

sir@civil.aau.dk

Contact

Local academic supervisor and PhD director: Prof. John Dalsgaard Sørensen (AAU)

jds@civil.aau.dk

Contact

Industrial co-supervisor: Dr Thierry Yalamas (PHIMECA)

yalamas@phimeca.com