Researchers at McGill University have developed a faster and more efficient way to assess the safety of bridges during earthquakes.
This new method can help authorities better prepare for natural disasters by identifying which bridges are most vulnerable to damage.
The research, published in Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, could lead to better emergency planning and infrastructure upgrades, particularly in earthquake-prone areas.
Traditionally, assessing the risk of bridge damage during an earthquake required running hundreds of thousands of simulations, which was time-consuming and expensive.
The McGill research team, led by Assistant Professor Yazhou Xie from the Department of Civil Engineering, has created a new approach that drastically reduces the number of simulations needed to just 70, using a combination of statistical techniques and artificial intelligence.
This smarter method allows researchers to quickly and accurately assess the earthquake risk to different types of bridges. The model can even update automatically if new bridge designs are introduced, ensuring that the safety evaluations stay current and relevant.
One of the key benefits of this new approach is that it can be integrated into systems that create risk maps.
These maps will help emergency responders plan safer routes during earthquakes and assist authorities in prioritizing which bridges need to be strengthened or upgraded. By focusing on the most at-risk bridges, cities can improve their resilience and ensure better safety for their residents.
“This research is vital for protecting bridge infrastructure in areas vulnerable to earthquakes. It will help decision-makers identify emergency traffic routes and plan more effectively for future seismic events,” said Xie.
In addition to helping during emergencies, the new tool can provide insights into how individual bridge failures could affect an entire transportation network. This information will allow policy-makers to make more informed decisions to enhance the safety and resilience of their cities.
