The International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) has proudly announced the IABSE People and Paper 2024 Awards winners. Prominent among them is the name of Dr. Nicola Scattarreggia, recipient of the prestigious Best Doctoral Thesis Award 2024 for his outstanding work entitled ‘Structural Evaluation to Collapse of Reinforced Concrete Bridges‘.
The IABSE Best Doctoral Dissertation Award is reserved for an original and outstanding doctoral dissertation in bridge and structure engineering written by individuals who have obtained their doctoral degree within the previous three calendar years. This prize is awarded annually and recognises significant contributions to research and innovation in civil engineering. This year, the prestigious award went to Dr Nicola Scattarreggia, who carried out his work at the Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia under the supervision of Professors Rui Pinho and Gian Michele Calvi.
Dr. Scattarreggia’s thesis focuses on the structural evaluation of reinforced concrete bridges up to the point of collapse. This work is particularly relevant since many road infrastructures in Europe and worldwide were built after World War II and have reached or exceeded their design life. The 1950s and 1960s saw a boom in the construction of motorways, using new technologies and large prestressed structures. Today, many of these infrastructures need urgent evaluation and intervention to prevent catastrophic collapse.
Dr. Scattarreggia used the Applied Element Method (AEM) to analyse the structural response of bridges from the point of view of robustness and sensitivity to localised damage. This methodology proved particularly effective for modelling the behaviour of bridges during damage propagation to global collapse and debris distribution. Comparisons with experimental tests and field data confirmed the reliability of AEM in handling both standard and non-standard load scenarios.
Dr Scattarreggia’s research has significant implications for maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. The results highlight the importance of correctly defining and characterising the structural details, geometry, loading history and state of preservation of the structures. In addition, AEM has proven to be an effective tool for assessing robustness and preventing progressive collapse, as demonstrated by the recent collapses of the historic arch bridge over the Magra River and the cable-stayed bridge over the Polcevera River (Morandi Bridge).
Dr. Scattarreggia’s work represents a fundamental contribution to civil engineering, providing new perspectives and tools for assessing and preventing structural collapse. The recognition by IABSE not only rewards academic excellence but also underlines the importance of addressing infrastructure challenges with innovative and rigorous methods.
IABSE, founded in 1929, continues to promote structural engineering through knowledge sharing and the organisation of international conferences. Its mission is to serve the profession and society by advancing engineering techniques to ensure safe and durable infrastructure.
For more details on the winners of the IABSE 2024 Awards, visit the official website: www.iabse.org/Awards/winners2024