POlymer architected structures for Traffic ENergy absorbers in Transport InfrastructuraAL systems

Every year, road traffic accidents claim 1.35 million lives and cost countries 3% of their GDP, making them a grave concern worldwide. Norway, in its 2022-2033 National Transport Plan, prioritizes Vision Zero for road safety. Among accident types, run-out-off road crashes contribute significantly to fatalities. To mitigate these crashes, roadside barriers are installed, but they still cause severe accidents, particularly involving motorcyclists and infrastructure like bridge columns, leading to traffic disruptions and economic losses. Installing energy absorbers on critical elements can bolster road infrastructure resilience. This project focuses on optimizing the placement and mechanical behavior of these energy absorbers to reduce collision damages and minimize traffic recovery time. Therefore, the following progress is needed, involving: 1) modeling, understanding, and developing architected structures to satisfy the need for traffic collision energy absorbers, 2) evaluating the efficiency of energy absorbers on infrastructure resilience, and 3) vehicle to infrastructure collision modeling. To address this multidisciplinary goal, we gathered a team of recognized researchers with expertise in material science, structural engineering, transport infrastructure, and traffic engineering. This Aurora project will strengthen the collaboration between French and Norwegian partners. Based on the activities planned in this project, both partners will develop a common understanding and knowledge to initiate an R&D proposal for the Horizon project and/or other European initiatives (such as JPI Urban Europe, Erasmus+, and Marie Curie ITN). Moreover, this collaboration will also promote research-based education activities by enhancing staff and student mobility.