In addition to natural disasters such as floods, or major accidents such as fires, the risk of attacks is growing due to the increased terrorist threat. Public transport infrastructures, such as tunnels and bridges, and representative buildings are particularly threatened. The bearing capacity of building structures must be improved to ensure the best possible protection in the case of explosives attacks. At the same time, extensive information on the state and accessibility of the scene of the accident are needed without delay, so that rescue and relief personnel can take effective emergency measures on site.

Scenario

The project is based on a scenario of massive damage to critical transport infrastructure, in particular tunnels and buildings, by terrorist explosives attacks. The infrastructure can be damaged to a degree that the stability of a building can no longer be guaranteed so that access is not possible without further information on the condition of the building. Reliable opinions by structural engineers regarding the state of the structural fabric (degree of damage and remaining stability) often cannot be obtained immediately, and this further complicates the situation.

Two priorities are addressed in parallel under this project: an increased resistance of tunnels and buildings to explosives loads and the development of a situation assessment system.