Injection of 1.2 million euros for the acquisition of a hybrid simulation system for structures at LATEM
The LATEM (Laboratory of Technology of Structures and Materials "Lluís Agulló") will be awarded 1.2 million euros, within the framework of the 2021 call for Scientific-Technical Equipment financed by MCIN-AEI through the NextGenerationEU funds, to implement a high capacity test system for hybrid simulation of structures (the first in the State), combined with a monitoring system with distributed fiber optics sensing.
The LATEM 4.0 project "Multilevel materialization, digitalization and experimentation of structures by means of cyber-physical systems of Construction 4.0", coordinated by Professor Luca Pelà from the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering, will develop this innovative technology that combines physical testing in the laboratory and computer modeling. This advanced structural testing technique allows virtual modelling of an entire complex structural system, while physically testing only a part of it (or an element) in the laboratory.
Virtual models of complex structural systems (such as entire buildings, bridges or large infrastructures) will be integrated in real time with the physical experiment of critical subsystems (frames, walls or elements). In addition, the physical response obtained in the laboratory will be digitalized with high fidelity by means of a monitoring system with distributed fiber optics sensing.
The 4.0 digital transformation of LATEM will allow fostering new lines of research and innovation in the construction sector. Some examples are the development of digital twins of real structures, the study of the behaviour of new materials and construction processes (such as those based on additive manufacturing), the design of safe and resilient infrastructures exposed to natural risks and climate change (earthquakes, wind gusts, etc.), and promoting sustainable construction.
The financing of the LATEM 4.0 project will allow the LATEM laboratory to acquire a cuttingedge experimental facility, present in the most prestigious laboratories worldwide of Civil and Structural Engineering, e.g. UC Berkeley, ETH Zürich, Swinburne, Tongji, among others.