A “smart structure” is a system that has the ability to learn about its environment, process the information in real time, reduce uncertainty, and generate and execute control actions in a safe and reliable manner to accomplish the desired objective.
The EUROCORES S3T Programme seeks to lay down theoretical and experimental bases for the integration of state-of-the-art sensors into systems to monitor and control major structures.
Major incidents caused by failures in engineering infrastructure, modern transportation or other spheres of human activity are becoming less acceptable; zero-risk protection of citizens is now a long-term aspiration of Governments. Whether it is civil infrastructure, industrial plant, or a fleet of trains or aircraft, operators and engineers are under pressure to make every possible effort to assure public safety, including the procurement of new technology, while at the same time they are under pressure to achieve substantial increases of operational efficiency and cost reduction. Consequently, there is less focus on the design of new structures and more on the long-term goal of extending indefinitely, through minimum intervention, the safe and economical operational lifetime of individual structural components and entire systems.
S3T emerged as a result of mutual interests expressed by the ESF and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) for collaborations. As a programme, S3T will enhance existing links and create new ones between European scientists and their American colleagues. It is hoped that this effort will lead to joint activities facilitating stronger synergy, awareness and collaborations in this truly multidisciplinary domain.
S3T Leaflet
The S3T Leaflet can be found here
