Innovative Bridges Research Group

Research keywords: · bridge structures · steel and composite bridges · reinforced concrete · numerical model-based design

Horizon Europe keywords: · Advanced materials · Cities and communities · Manufacturing technologies · Disaster-resilient physical and digital infrastructures

Faculty of Civil Engineering Department of Structural Engineering

Dr. Attila László Joó

Associate Professor

Introduction of the Research Group

The research group's activity covers a very wide spectrum of the study of civil engineering structures in the field of steel, reinforced concrete, and composite bridge structures. The research methodology used by the research group includes experimental, analytical, and numerical model-based studies of bridge structures, the development of new design methods and innovative structural designs, the application of new steel and reinforced concrete materials, and the analysis of their design specialties. The activities of the research group are related to pilot research topics (e.g. testing of high-strength steel structures), industrial developments (e.g. new steel and reinforced concrete structures, development of bridge girders), industrial applications (independent static verification of bridge structures, expert testing of existing bridge structures, load testing of new bridges, higher-investment related expert activity) and the development of international standards (development of the second generation of Eurocode standards, EN 1993-1-5 and EN 1993-1-14). The research team conducts experimental, analytical, and numerical studies in the following fields: (i) numerical model-based analysis and design of steel, reinforced concrete and composite structures; (ii) development of precast reinforced concrete bridge girders, (iii) development of new steel and hybrid bridge girders and design methods for these structures, (iv) development of innovative numerical model-based design methods for steel and composite structures, (v) numerical welding simulations, determination of welding residual stresses and deformations, implementation of them in the design model, (vi) development of bridge monitoring systems, application in bridge maintenance, (vii) bridge dynamics studies (pedestrian and wind dynamics studies), (viii) development of innovative shear connectors for composite structures.

Achievements Publications Awards Journals Infrastructure Projects Industry relations Conferences

Achievements

The research group has internationally recorded results in the field of experimental and numerical investigation of steel and composite structures and the development of reinforced concrete bridge girders.

In Hungary, the research group has widespread dissemination of innovative, numerical model-based design methods and their daily application in civil engineering design practice in the field of bridges.

The results of the research group have been used directly in the industry in many cases in recent years. The results of our research and expert work have been used in the construction of new bridge structures in the framework of several major domestic investments (e.g. M0 Hárosi Danube Bridge, M4 highway Tisza Bridge, Kalocsa-Paks new Danube Bridge, Budapest new Danube Bridge, Southern Railway Bridge in Budapest, Athletic stadium stay-cable bridge) and during the reconstruction of our historical Danube bridges (eg. Chain Bridge, Liberty Bridge, Rákóczi Bridge, Margaret Bridge). The research group actively participates in the expert work of Hungarian bridge structures and in the solution of technical problems (e.g. Hárosi Danube bridge renovation - replacement of bearings, control of bridge construction technological processes).
Our research results are known and recognized internationally; several of the new design procedures developed by the research team have been incorporated into the new generation of the Eurocode standards, making our results widely applicable. Examples of such new results include the development of a refined design method for the patch loading resistance of stiffened welded plated structures, and design of cross-beams, which new design methods result in significant material and labor cost savings. The results of the research group were also used in bridge girder developments. The reinforced concrete prestressed bridge girder family, developed with the professional support of the research group, significantly expanded the range of applicability of these structures in Hungary. The trapezoidal web and hybrid bridge girder developments brought a new direction to the bridge-building practice in Hungary.
In addition, the research group is a pioneer in the development of Hungarian bridge monitoring systems, in the monitoring system-based examination of bridge structures, and in the bridge structure diagnostic evaluation of the data provided by the monitoring system.

The leading international recognition of the research team and the research team leader is shown by the fact that in 2016 the CEN / TC250 / SC3 committee of the European Committee for Standardization selected him to be convenor of an international committee to develop a new numerical model-based design standard for steel structures (EN 1993-1-14). Under his leadership, the committee worked for 3 years with the cooperation of 22 professors within the CEN / TC250 / SC3 / AHGFE committee, which developed the first version of the new standard EN 1993-1-14 by 2019. This document is currently under finalization and implementation as a new design code. The work of the research group greatly contributes to the work of the European Committee for Standardization CEN / TC250 / SC3 / WG22 on the numerical model-based design of steel structures and the development of the new standard.

The strength of the research group is also shown by the fact that a young generation was able to grow up from this group and started an independent research group led by Balázs Kövesdi with the financial support of the Hungarian Academy of Science under the Lendület program.

Publications

B. Kövesdi, B. Jáger, L. Dunai: Bending and shear interaction behavior of girders with trapezoidally corrugated webs, Journal of Constructional Steel Research 121, 383-397, 2016.
L. Dunai, B. Kövesdi: Damage assessment of the historical Széchenyi chain bridge, Journal of Computational and Applied Mechanics 15 (2), 101-114, 2020.
B. Kövesdi, L. Dunai, C. Hendy: Minimum requirements for transverse stiffeners on orthotropic plates subjected to compression, Engineering Structures 176, 396-410, 2018.
B. Somodi, B. Kövesdi: Flexural buckling resistance of welded HSS box-section members,
Thin-Walled Structures 119, 266-281, 2017.
L. Dunai, A. Horváth: Rehabilitation of historical bridges over the Danube in Budapest,
International Journal of Architectural Heritage 13 (1), 2-14, 2019.

Awards

Gábor Dénes award - 2021 (László Dunai) Széchenyi award - 2021 (László Dunai) Széchenyi award - 2008 (Adrián Horváth) Az év hidásza award - 2018 (László Dunai) Apáthy Árpád award - 2021 (Balázs Kövesdi)

Journals

Journal of Constructional Steel Research
Composite Structures
Thin-Walled Structures
Engineering Structures
Journal of Bridge Engineering

Infrastructure

The Department has a structural testing laboratory, which is suitable for laboratory or on-site inspections on bridges, making destructive or non-destructive measurements.

Projects

Rules on High Strength Steel (RUOSTE) - RFCS project
Development of innovative steel and hybrid bridges with corrugated web - GINOP-2.1.1-15-2015-00659 project
MTA-BME Lendület „New generation steel bridges” – LENDULET_2021_41 research project

Industry relations

The research team has extensive industrial connections in the field of steel and reinforced concrete bridge construction. We work closely with Hungarian bridge construction companies and bridge design offices in the field of expert and research development, and we regularly perform product and design process development work for international construction companies.

Conferences

European Conference on Steel and Composite Structures - EUROSTEEL (organization in 2011)
International Colloquia on Stability and Ductility of Steel Structures - SDSS
SSRC Annual Stability Conference
Central European Congress on Concrete Engineering - CCC
IABSE Symposium - International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (organization in 2006)