Meshing Research and Civionics to Revolutionize the Design of Civil Engineering Infrastructure

While travelling to work, school or shop, most people unknowingly rely on space age technology and materials as they traverse bridges and structures along the way. They are also unaware that advances in Civionics enhance their safety through structural health monitoring of bridges, buildings, pipelines and even nuclear storage facilities. By combining the disciplines of electrical and civil engineering and replacing conventional steel reinforcement with the new materials of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs), Civionics facilitates new design concepts for structures – pushing the envelope of civil engineering design parameters. Civionics is to civil engineering what avionics is to aerospace.

Public awareness of ISIS Canada research was dramatically enhanced in Manitoba when the rehabilitated Golden Boy statue on top of the Manitoba Legislative Building included the installation of a structural health monitoring component. ISIS technology measures the structural heartbeat, stresses and strains created by ice and windstorms on this huge 1650-kilogram treasured icon perched high above the city of Winnipeg. Thousands of Manitobans witnessed the refurbishing process and are comforted by the fact their precious Golden Boy will be preserved for another millennium through the continuous monitoring provided by ISIS technology. The health of an icon has proved important to some Canadians and enhanced the awareness of ISIS research along the way.

The prevailing corrosion and appearance of cracks in the gas and oil pipelines carpeting Western Canada is an emerging economic and public safety concern. A ruptured pipe causes severe havoc to the surrounding area and represents significant revenue loss until repaired and placed back in service. To meet this need, ISIS Canada developed a one-of-a-kind “long gauge” fibre optic sensor, which led to a spin-off company, FOX-TEK Inc., which manufactures a unique instrument to read pipeline stresses and to detect weak spots in advance. ISIS is currently developing a competing technology using the Brillouin scattering technique based on photonics. This is an advanced, cost-effective, distributed-strain measuring system by remote monitoring over long distances using conventional telecom fibre cables. Being able to detect potential eruptions in advance constitutes huge savings to the pipeline industry and provides a public safety comfort level that would otherwise not be possible.

Without the concurrent development of highly qualified personnel, much of ISIS research would be wasted through non-utilization. It is the Masters and Ph.D. students who will transfer ISIS technologies in the long term from the laboratory to the workplace. To enhance their educational experience beyond the norm, ISIS creates opportunities for students that would not be possible without the NCE network. One of those opportunities was a design competition for a small bridge now constructed on the Université de Sherbrooke campus. Five Network University teams competed, with Queen’s emerging as the winner. Currently, a second competition involving a 70-metre-long bridge at the University of Manitoba has been launched. The success of ISIS Canada research will be measured by the extent to which the new technology is being utilized by the owners of infrastructure by 2010. Highly qualified ISIS graduates are being equipped to champion the cause and gain job opportunities in the process.

Several ISIS demonstration projects have been constructed in the Province of Quebec, where the application of new technology is embraced as a practical means of coping with crumbling infrastructure and an ever-increasing shortage of capital funds for rehabilitation and replacement. Bridges, structures, parking garages, schools and the Gentilly II nuclear plant have all benefited from ISIS technology. By replacing conventional steel reinforcement with corrosion-resistant, super strong, lightweight FRPs, civil infrastructure requires less maintenance and lasts longer than with conventional techniques. There is no question that using FRP wraps for rehabilitation of concrete components is an efficient, cost effective and state-of-the-art technology in the repair and strengthening of structures. Management of these structures is enhanced through Civionics and constant monitoring. By installing miniature light sources and fibre optic cable in wet concrete during construction and by connecting the leads to the recently developed read-out instruments, such as those developed by IDERS Inc., we can now generate live, real-time data. This is Civionics at work. See the live data results for yourself.

Potential savings associated with ISIS research are huge - not only in Canada, but beyond. The ISIS Canada Research Network, comprised of 280 researchers in 15 Network Universities across the country, is creating the opportunity to tap into the $900-billion global marketplace for infrastructure renewal. Exporting Canadian solutions is part of the ISIS mandate. To facilitate the process, ISIS personnel are involved in a worldwide exercise to upgrade design codes so engineers everywhere can take advantage of the knowledge gained and practical solutions developed by the ISIS Network. In partnership with universities, government agencies and the private sector, there is no question that ISIS Canada is making an impact on the design and construction of civil engineering structures…for the benefit of Canadians and beyond.