REPROCITY · Research and training on restoration and protection of the city environment in industrial regions

Final Activity Report Summary - REPROCITY (Research and training on restoration and protection of the city environment in industrial regions)

The project REPROCITY was focused on the wide range of problems refers to the built environment. The project was concentrated mainly on solving structural problems connected with existing and deteriorated city built environment. REPROCITY was realised during the four years period - from 2005 till 2008. It was organised and managed by the civil engineering department of the Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland. The total number of 11 institutional participants created a group involved in project realisation. The group consisted of technical Universities representing nine countries from various parts of Europe (Portugal, Germany, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Greece and Slovakia). This diversification helped to recognise and exchange knowledge specific for different regions of Europe. Although many subjects are common, but some others occurs to be individual and specific for the region. Intensive personal exchange enabled contact between scientists dealing with similar problems. It was also a good occasion to generally recognise needs and problems characteristic to other communities. All problems connected with protection and restoration of existing and deteriorated city built environment was divided into three main scientific areas: - Analytical assessment and prediction of structural safety threats appearing due to actions undertaken in the city (tunnelling, deep excavations, mining activity in the vicinity of existing buildings); - Recognition of the current state of threatened object, assessment of its' structural safety, and design of protection and strengthening. Assessment of the effectiveness of planned strengthening for threatened buildings; - Structural problems connected with modernisation of old buildings (sometimes monumental) and revitalising of post-industrial sites. The topics mentioned above were solved in both analytical and experimental way. The analytical part was connected with development of computational system for nonlinear elastic-plastic behaviour of building structures. Further development of materials numerical description was made. It was focused mainly on masonry, concrete and soil. This nonlinear behaviour was used in solving problems of interaction between structures and subsoil. This refers to protection of buildings subjected to different deteriorating actions like ground subsidence. Currently, this protection is designed established on the basis of very simplified methods neglecting soil-structure interaction and using simple linear elastic material models. Developed software is based on finite elements method and can be applied for prediction of the behaviour of buildings subjected to ground motions (vertical settlement, horizontal strain, uneven settlement). Works on this computational system was one of the project objectives. Theoretical works were supplied by the results of the experimental tests carried out in laboratory conditions. These tests were referred both to testing of popular, structural materials, aimed on determination of parameters for advanced material models (tri-axial compression tests, behaviour under long-term loading, durability of concrete and masonry), as well as experiments with modern materials for protection and strengthening of deteriorated building structures. In recent works developed at SUT-CE, carbon fibre reinforced polymers were tested for strengthening of concrete, reinforced concrete and timber structures. During realisation of the project, four work groups were established. Their activities were related to four work packages created at the stage of project preparation. These four work packages are as follows: 1. WP1. The influence of ground subsidence on built environment 2. WP2. Case study on building materials' durability and resistance against environmental influences 3. WP3. Strengthening methods 4. WP4. Protection of city cultural heritage.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз