Research at 1:1 Scale
Numerous research projects with research and industrial partners require a research centre of this scale. The following projects provide a brief insight into our activities.
AVANT - Adaptive planning of grouting measures in tunnel construction using AI
2020 - 2022
In the AVANT project, digital data recording systems are used to carry out tunnel driving and grouting measures more efficiently and economically. The focus is on adapting grouting agents, parameters and demolition criteria to the subsoil situation as well as early underground processing and optimization of the construction process. Artificial intelligence methods are to be used to analyze drilling data and pressure-volume curves and to provide expert knowledge for inexperienced employees.
BIM - Based planning, construction and operation process management in tunnel construction
2020 - 2023
The aim of this project is to ensure interoperability despite different company-internal designations so as not to interfere with internal company processes. To this end, a prototype platform is being developed on which the company standards and their terminology can be translated into other standards. An industry standard can then be proposed from the sum of the various standards.
BRAFA
2019 - 2021
Vehicles with alternative fuels and drive systems will be increasingly used for climate and environmental reasons. However, the behavior of such vehicles in accidents involving fires is still largely unexplored. This research project aims to significantly improve the level of knowledge about the development, consequences and risks of fires in vehicles with alternative drive systems. This is necessary in order to maintain the existing safety standard of the road infrastructure (primarily in road tunnels) and to enable emergency services (fire department, but also rescue services and first responders) to assess dangerous situations.
Dragon
2012 - 2015
In the near future, the European civil engineering industry is expected to excavate around 800 million tons of mineral resources from tunnels, subway railroads and other underground structures such as underground power plants, sewage tunnels, etc. This material is usually disposed of in landfills. Currently, this excavated material is usually disposed of in landfills. Efficient use on site or in other industrial sectors is therefore of great economic and ecological interest.
DrainML - Automation and machine learning for tunnel drainage diagnostics
2021 - 2023
As part of DrainML, a new machine learning-based solution for the diagnostics of tunnel drainage pipes is being developed. In addition to the existing automated cleaning of the drainage pipes, this should enable additional real-time diagnostics of these tunnel components.
DrainRepair - Adaptation of rehabilitation methods for drainage pipes in tunnel construction
2020 - 2023
The project deals with the maintenance and cleaning of drainage systems in tunnel structures to ensure their functionality. Particular attention is paid to the selection and optimization of rehabilitation methods for drainage pipes, with a focus on the CIPP method. Attention is paid to the fact that in some cases other methods may be more suitable. The aim is to reduce the cost of maintaining the tunnels and prevent damage to the drainage pipes.
ETU-ZAB - Development of education and training standards for operations in tunnels and underground infrastructures
2018 - 2021
Austria has a large number of underground infrastructures, including road and rail tunnels, subway stations, energy supply systems, water supply systems, communication infrastructures and mining facilities. Due to fire disasters, terrorist attacks and mining accidents, safety in these structures has been increased. The consortium has set itself the goal of increasing safety in underground structures during the construction and operational phases and improving skills for dealing with emergencies in such infrastructures. It brings together organizations and infrastructure operators to pool existing emergency competencies and optimize safety technology in underground infrastructures.
GEMEG - Geophysical-geomechanical rock mass classification for conventional and mechanized tunnelling
2018 - 2021
The FFG Bridge project aims to develop new geophysical measurement methods and mathematical solutions to overcome previously unknown geotechnical challenges in tunnel construction. The aim is to improve occupational safety and make the implementation of international tunnel construction projects economically feasible.
GeoDrone - Automatic geological AI Interpretation of 3D Images from Outcrops acquired by a Drone
2021 - 2022
The aim of the project is the development, selection and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms and the new development of AI architectures for the delineation of geological facies areas from 3D drone photos. In addition, the algorithm will be used to automatically interpret and estimate petrophysical properties and geomechanical properties. In order to achieve these goals, outcrops at the Zentrum am Berg (ZaB) in Eisenerz (Styria) are recorded using a drone. In addition, geophysical and geomechanical measurements are carried out selectively on these outcrops. With this data and the developed AI workflow, an automatic interpretation should now be possible. This will work faster and more accurately as the training input increases.
In2Track3
2023 - 2023
In this project, a UGV (unmanned ground vehicle), also called a tunnel drainage rover (TDR), was developed. This UGV can operate under various conditions in tunnel drainage systems (different pipe diameters and geometries, humidity). With an embedded camera sensor, it records obstructions controlled remotely. UGV was used in real conditions in the drainage system at Zab.
Nike Bluetrack - Sustainable interdisciplinarity in complex underground operations
2020 - 2022
Complex underground operations are characterized by a lack of lighting and ventilation, the environmental conditions in a widely ramified infrastructure as well as a hybrid, proactive opponent and quickly push the emergency services to their limits as the depth of penetration increases. In such a scenario, orientation underground is of essential importance. Due to the multidimensional branching of underground structures, as well as the limited visibility and the resulting difficulties in orientation, the precise positioning of one's own forces is essential for survival.
NIKE Submovecon - Sustainable interdisciplinarity in complex underground operations
2020 - 2023
The NIKE-SubMoveCon project aims to support security forces in dealing with terrorist threats in underground infrastructures. The sarin poison gas attack in Tokyo in 1995 highlighted the danger of such attacks in train, car and subway tunnels. Through a multidisciplinary approach, which includes automated multi-sensor analyses, assistance systems as well as individual and group sociology, essential research results for operational strategies against terrorists on site are to be developed. This approach should enable the real-time generation of an overall situation picture in order to optimize the operational command of police, COBRA, the armed forces, rescue services and fire departments and thus significantly increase the safety of both civilians and emergency services.
RecyMin - Recycling of artifical mineral fibers
2018 - 2022
Large quantities of mineral wool waste are produced during the demolition or conversion of buildings. Recycling this waste is currently not feasible in Austria, so mineral wool waste has to be landfilled. The aim of the RecyMin project is to recycle and reuse mineral wool waste in the future. As a result, the project will create the basis for improving landfill properties through targeted processing steps, using mineral wool waste as a substitute raw material or grinding material in the cement industry, using mineral wool waste as backfill products and creating a concept for returning it to the mineral wool industry.
RICAS2020
2015 - 2018
The RICAS2020 design study for the European underground research infrastructure related to advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage (AA-CAES) will provide concepts for the development of a research infrastructure for the underground storage of very large amounts of green energy. The great advantage of the new concepts is that underground energy storage can be carried out regardless of the geological conditions and also in all locations with high energy demand.
RICAS2020 is being built as an extension of the Research @ ZaB research infrastructure in Eisenerz, Austria, which is funded by the Austrian government and is designed as a European underground research, training and testing facility for underground mobility, including tunnels and subway railroads.
ROBO-MOLE - ROBOtics for 3D mapping, orientation and localization in underground scenarios
2020 - 2022
The aim of ROBO-MOLE is to increase the safety of emergency services and civilians in tunnels and underground structures by detecting and identifying hazardous substances and automatically generating situation maps. A semi-autonomous robot with various sensors is being developed to take on supporting analysis tasks in operations such as hazardous goods transportation accidents in tunnels. The robot should be able to navigate and be controlled safely, even under difficult conditions such as smoke, heat or obstructed routes, in order to identify and map hazards.
MED1stMR - Medical First Responder Training using a Mixed Reality Approach
2021 - 2024
The MED1stMR (Medical First Responder Training using a Mixed Reality Approach) research project aims to better prepare medical first responders for stressful and highly complex disaster situations. A mixed reality training system allows medical routines to be practised realistically in order to improve confidence, reaction speed and coping strategies. The integration of wearable technology to monitor the trainees' physiological data is intended to support and personalise the training. Intelligent electronic devices in the project can recognise and transmit biosignals to provide insights for debriefing and control adaptive intelligent scenarios based on artificial intelligence during training.
NIKE DHQ-RADIV - Digital Head Quarters - Development of Rapid Data Integration and Visualization as a core process of staff work
2021 - 2023
Current and future operations are very complex, so a comprehensive situational picture is necessary to reduce complexity and provide decision-makers with the information they need. Especially in urban environments, large amounts of heterogeneous data need to be integrated and visualized. NIKE DHQ-RADIV is part of the overall NIKE program and aims to quickly integrate and visualize data to create a comprehensive operational picture. It is designed to ensure the collaboration of different visualization systems across the reality-virtuality continuum. Currently, there are only individual applications without collaboration options.
NIKE-MED - Sustainable Interdisciplinarity in complex underground operations - Medical Treatment
2021 - 2023
Complex underground operations are associated with a large number of typical injury patterns that represent a major challenge for the healthcare system. These include poisoning from combustion gases, extensive burns, gunshot and fragmentation injuries, mental disorders, contamination with NBC substances and injuries caused by mass panic. NIKE MED evaluates emergency capacities, develops an application to optimize care for emergency services and identifies the need for strategic reserve capacities. The project makes an important contribution to the operational readiness of specialized underground task forces and to national crisis and disaster management.
Pre-feasibility study on deep geothermal energy in Tyrol
2022 - 2023
The aim of the project is an initial assessment of the potential for the possible use of partial geothermal energy in the Inn Valley. An interdisciplinary team (geologists, geophysicists, earthquake researchers and geotechnical engineers) will carry out an extensive initial data collection.
Solarfold pull out tests ground anchor
2024 - 2024
The company solarfold GmbH manufactures mobile solar containers for flexible power generation. The almost 130 m long photovoltaic systems are set up semi-automatically from the containers using an aluminium rail system. This rail system rests on supports which are fixed to the ground with polygon anchors. Three ground anchor bolts are used as foundation elements for each polygon anchor.
The aim of the project is to determine the maximum pull-out forces of the ground anchor bolts in field tests
for different soil types (soft, medium-hard and hard), which are to be regarded as representative soil types for Slovenia, Germany and Austria. Pull-out tests for four different soil types were carried out at the Centre on the Mountain (ZaB) in Eisenerz using the manually displaced ground anchor bolts.