The three-dimensional flow of force in a damaged, skewed masonry arch railway bridge – Insights from fibre Bragg rosettes, videogrammetry, and modelling

Masonry arch bridges are common, especially in the UK and Europe, but interpretation of their structural behaviour can be challenging and is often complicated by histories of damage over their long working lives. Assessing the performance of repair works at these bridges is vital, to provide confidence in their continued use. This paper presents novel applications of fibre-optic sensing and videogrammetry to measure and visualise the three-dimensional, dynamic structural response of a skewed masonry arch railway bridge in unprecedented detail. In particular, fibre-optic strain rosettes are used to map the distributions of principal strains, and hence force flow, throughout the arch, while videogrammetry reveals a secondary load path in the form of transverse arch bending. Monitoring results are then combined with simplified analytical models of this transverse bending, to study the effectiveness of intervention works aimed at restoring structural connectivity between the arch and its spandrel walls

A directly comparative two-gate case–control diagnostic accuracy study of the pure tone screen and HearCheck screener tests for identifying hearing impairment in school children

Objectives: This study directly compared the accuracy of two audiometry-based tests for screening school children for hearing impairment: the currently used test, pure tone screen and a device newly applied to children, HearCheck Screener. Design: Two-gate case–control diagnostic test accuracy study. Setting and participants: Hearing impaired children (‘intended cases’) aged 4–6 years were recruited between February 2013 and August 2014 from collaborating audiology services. Children with no previously identified impairment (‘intended controls’) were recruited from Foundation and Year 1 of schools between February 2013 and June 2014 in central England. The reference standard was pure tone audiometry. Tests were administered at Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit or, for some intended cases only, in the participant’s home. Main outcome measures: Sensitivity and specificity of the pure tone screen and HearCheck tests based on pure tone audiometry result as reference standard. Results: 315 children (630 ears) were recruited; 75 from audiology services and 240 from schools. Full test and reference standard data were obtained for 600 ears; 155 ears were classified as truly impaired and 445 as truly hearing based on the pure tone audiometry assessment. Sensitivity was estimated to be 94.2% (95% CI 89.0% to 97.0%) for pure tone screen and 89.0% (95% CI 82.9% to 93.1%) for HearCheck (difference=5.2% favouring pure tone screen; 95% CI 0.2% to 10.1%; p=0.02). Estimates for specificity were 82.2% (95% CI 77.7% to 86.0%) for pure tone screen and 86.5% (95% CI 82.5% to 89.8%) for HearCheck (difference=4.3% favouring HearCheck; 95% CI0.4% to 8.2%; p=0.02). Conclusion: Pure tone screen was better than HearCheck with respect to sensitivity but inferior with respect to specificity. As avoiding missed cases is arguably of greater importance for school entry screening, pure tone screen is probably preferable in this context

Debt Counselling for Depression in Primary Care: an adaptive randomised controlled pilot trial (DeCoDer study)

Background: Depression and debt are common in the UK. Debt Counselling for Depression in Primary Care: an adaptive randomised controlled pilot trial (DeCoDer) aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the addition of a primary care debt counselling advice service to usual care for patients with depression and debt. However, the study was terminated early during the internal pilot trial phase because of recruitment delays. This report describes the rationale, methods and findings of the pilot study, and implications for future research. Objectives: The overarching aim of the internal pilot was to identify and resolve problems, thereby assessing the feasibility of the main trial. The specific objectives were to confirm methods for practice recruitment and the ability to recruit patients via the proposed approaches; to determine the acceptability of the study interventions and outcome measures; to assess contamination; to confirm the randomisation method for main trial and the level of participant attrition; and to check the robustness of data collection systems. Design: An adaptive, parallel, two-group multicentre randomised controlled pilot trial with a nested mixed-methods process and economic evaluation. Both individual- and cluster (general practice)-level were was used in the pilot phase to assign participants to intervention or control groups. Setting: General practices in England and Wales. Participants: Individuals were included who were aged ≥ 18 years, scored ≥ 14 on the Beck Depression Inventory II and self-identified as having debt worries. The main exclusion criteria were being actively suicidal or psychotic and/or severely depressed and unresponsive to treatment; having a severe addiction to alcohol/illicit drugs; being unable/unwilling to give written informed consent; currently participating in other research including follow-up phases; having received Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) debt advice in the past year; and not wanting debt advice via a general practice. Interventions: The participants in the intervention group were given debt advice provided by the CAB and shared biopsychosocial assessment, in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) and two debt advice leaflets. The participants in the control group were given advice leaflets provided by the general practitioner and TAU only. Main outcome measures: (1) Outcomes of the pilot trial – the proportion of eligible patients who consented, the number of participants recruited compared with target, assessment of contamination, and assessment of patient satisfaction with intervention and outcome measures. (2) Participant outcomes – primary – Beck Depression Inventory II; secondary – psychological well-being, health and social care utilisation, service satisfaction, substance misuse, record of priority/non-priority debts, life events and difficulties, and explanatory measures. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (pre-randomisation) and at 4 months post randomisation. Other data sources – qualitative interviews were conducted with participants, clinicians and CAB advisors. Results: Of the 238 expressions of interest screened, 61 participants (26%) were recruited and randomised (32 in the intervention group and 29 in the control group). All participants provided baseline outcomes and 52 provided the primary outcome at 4 months’ follow-up (14.7% dropout). Seventeen participants allocated to the intervention saw a CAB advisor. Descriptive statistics are reported for participants with complete outcomes at baseline and 4 months’ follow-up. Our qualitative findings suggest that the relationship between debt and depression is complex, and the impact of each on the other is compounded by other psychological, social and contextual influences. Conclusions: As a result of low recruitment, this trial was terminated at the internal pilot phase and was too small for inferential statistical analysis. We recommend ways to reduce this risk when conducting complex trials among vulnerable populations recruited in community settings. These cover trial design, the design and delivery of interventions, recruitment strategies and support for sites

Distributed dynamic fibre-optic strain monitoring of the behaviour of a skewed masonry arch railway bridge

AbstractSkewed masonry arch railway bridges are common, yet their structural behaviour under typical working loads, along with gradual changes in behaviour due to degradation, can be difficult to determine. This paper aims to address this problem through detailed monitoring of a damaged, skewed masonry arch railway bridge in the UK, which was recently repaired. A comprehensive Structural Health Monitoring system was installed, including an array of fibre-optic Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors to provide distributed sensing data across a large portion of the bridge. This FBG monitoring data is used, in this paper, to investigate the typical dynamic structural response of the skewed bridge in detail, and to quantify the sensitivity of this response to a range of variables. It is observed that the dynamic bridge response is sensitive to the time of day, which is a proxy for passenger loading, to the train speed, and to temperature. It is also observed that the sensitivity of the response to these variables can be local, in that the response can differ throughout the bridge and be affected by existing local damage. Identifying these trends is important to distinguish additional damage from other effects. The results are also used to evaluate some typical assumptions regarding bridge behaviour, which may be of interest to asset engineers working with skewed masonry arch bridges.</jats:p

Sensor-Based Structural Assessment of Aging Bridges

Transport infrastructure managers need to ensure longevity of their networks to meet pressing sustainability demands. Extending the operational life of complex structural systems, such as aging bridges, requires a comprehensive life-expectancy assessment. Given that these structures are suffering from local failures that may not necessarily alter their global response, engineers need to increase their confidence in detecting and characterizing such damage, while assessing deterioration rates in localized regions. This chapter presents data analysis results from the structural health monitoring of three aging bridges: two masonry arch rail bridges, and a half-joint concrete motorway bridge. The aim, in all cases, is to improve deterioration assessment through enhanced sensing of the distributed response across the structures. A core sensing technology used in the three schemes is the development of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) networks, allowing the study of small dynamic strain variations at both the local and global response levels. New ways of installing FBGs are explored for multi-aspect condition monitoring, while their sensitivity in damage detection is enhanced with data analytics and acoustic emission (AE) sensors. The chapter discusses that complementing information from dynamic strain and AE-sensing networks may enable a finer deterioration monitoring of aging structures driven by data

Sensor-Based Structural Assessment of Aging Bridges

Transport infrastructure managers need to ensure longevity of their networks to meet pressing sustainability demands. Extending the operational life of complex structural systems, such as aging bridges, requires a comprehensive life-expectancy assessment. Given that these structures are suffering from local failures that may not necessarily alter their global response, engineers need to increase their confidence in detecting and characterizing such damage, while assessing deterioration rates in localized regions. This chapter presents data analysis results from the structural health monitoring of three aging bridges: two masonry arch rail bridges, and a half-joint concrete motorway bridge. The aim, in all cases, is to improve deterioration assessment through enhanced sensing of the distributed response across the structures. A core sensing technology used in the three schemes is the development of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) networks, allowing the study of small dynamic strain variations at both the local and global response levels. New ways of installing FBGs are explored for multi-aspect condition monitoring, while their sensitivity in damage detection is enhanced with data analytics and acoustic emission (AE) sensors. The chapter discusses that complementing information from dynamic strain and AE-sensing networks may enable a finer deterioration monitoring of aging structures driven by data.</p

Opportunities and Challenges for Decarbonised, Adaptable and Resilient Transport Systems in the United Kingdom

The transport sector faces complex challenges, including decarbonisation, resilience-building, technology integration, and alignment with evolving climate science. This study reviews over 120 documents outlining policies, programmes, and roadmaps that shape the UK’s transport strategies at national, regional, and local levels. National plans focus on zero-emission vehicles, autonomous systems, and digital technologies, emphasizing net-zero emissions through clean technologies, expanded electric vehicle infrastructure, and promotion of active travel. However, local strategies often operate in isolation, prioritizing net-zero targets while neglecting the impacts of climate change on infrastructure resilience and deterioration. Our analysis, supported by stakeholder workshops, reveals significant gaps in resilience standards, metrics, and statutory targets that undermine effective asset management. To address these deficiencies, we propose a conceptual framework integrating resilience and sustainability into transport planning. This framework balances new developments with proactive management of existing assets, effectively guiding future strategies to enhance the overall adaptability of the UK’s transport sector