Viktoria Savran

A new publication from the SUBLIME project examines how monitoring and inspection data can improve the assessment of fatigue-critical details in ageing steel bridges. Fatigue cracks can develop gradually under repeated traffic loads. Reliable information about these cracks is therefore essential for deciding whether a bridge can continue to be used safely and when maintenance is needed.

The SUBLIME consortium is pleased to announce the successful defence of the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) project by Ali Sabzi Khoshraftar, who presented his work on the development and evaluation of predictive digital twins for steel bridge assessment and maintenance.

The SUBLIME consortium is pleased to see that recent monitoring campaigns at the Van Hall Bridge in Amsterdam are now featured in an online article and video published by Aan de Gracht(en) Amsterdam. The publication highlights how in-depth monitoring of steel bridges contributes to a better understanding of their condition, vulnerabilities, and long-term performance.

During the 2025 M2i Conference at Papendal, Anton Gorter of Civiele Technieken de Boer presented the progress of SUBLIME’s field monitoring work on the Van Hall Bridge in Amsterdam. His talk, “An on-site measurement campaign – it sounds so simple” highlighted the many practical steps and unforeseen challenges involved in collecting high-quality strain data on a historic movable steel bridge.

The SUBLIME project is taking a major step forward in understanding how steel sheet piles age in real port conditions. In close collaboration with North Sea Port (NSP), TU Delft researcher Prasaanth Ravi Anusuyadevi is preparing the installation of a new field-testing structure that will allow long-term monitoring of corrosion processes on S355 steel.
Following recent discussions between TU Delft and NSP, both partners agreed to install a dedicated sample-carrying structure directly in the port. The design includes three identical frames, each hosting nine steel samples and each intended for different exposure durations: 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. The samples will be positioned at different depths along the waterline to capture how corrosion varies from splash zone to full immersion.

On 9 October 2025, researchers from the SUBLIME project came together to explore how digital twins and drones can make our steel infrastructures more sustainable and reliable. The Get Together Day featured visits to the Dutch Drone Company (DDC) and the RDM innovation campus in Rotterdam — connecting research with real-world innovation and strengthening collaboration within the SUBLIME community.