{"id":14183,"date":"2020-09-03T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T16:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=14183"},"modified":"2024-03-18T18:33:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T01:33:39","slug":"somni-solutionsomni-solutions-fiber-optic-sensors-genova-san-giorgio-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/somni-solutionsomni-solutions-fiber-optic-sensors-genova-san-giorgio-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Somni Solutions Designs Fiber Optic Sensors for the Genova San Giorgio Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"san-giorgio-bridge\"<\/p>\n

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The Morandi Bridge in Genova, Italy was originally built in 1967 and served as a connector between Italy and France for over 50 years. In August 2018, a section of the bridge <\/span>tragically collapsed<\/span><\/a> during a storm because it structurally couldn\u2019t handle the weight of modern-day traffic needs, leading to 43 deaths. Due to the bridge\u2019s daily importance, it was clear a new bridge would need to be built quickly. <\/span>Renzo Piano<\/span><\/a> and\u00a0 <\/span>PERGENOVA<\/span><\/a> were enlisted to design and build the new Genova San Giorgio Bridge, and it was to be completed in just 15 months to meet demand. On high alert to avoid another tragedy, the team knew they would need to employ a structural health monitoring system to ensure the continued safety of travelers and commuters for years to come. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Enter <\/span>Somni Solutions<\/span><\/a>, a Netherlands-based company that specializes in designing and manufacturing fiber optic sensors. Somni Solutions met this unique challenge by designing sensors that are able to measure any changes in the position of the bridge\u2019s pillars at a rate of 2,000 times per second. They designed, engineered, and prepped these fiber optic sensors for manufacturing all using Fusion 360. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"somni-solutions-fiber-optic-sensor-fusion-360\"<\/p>\n

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The sensors provide constant monitoring, allowing engineers to perform predictive maintenance and ensure they are aware of any notable shifts in the bridge\u2019s physical orientation. \u201cEvery structure has its own unique set of behaviors,\u201d explains Rik Knoppers, COO of Somni Solutions. \u201cIf you add sensors to a structure, you can monitor those behaviors and tell if it is changing because of bad maintenance or hidden damage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unlike regular sensors, Fiber Optic Sensors don\u2019t require coper wiring, frequent maintenance, or batteries, and they are much more affordable to install. The tilt and acceleration-measuring sensors are built from one mono-block of steel, which also reduces manufacturing time and materials. \u201cElectric temperature sensors have about 90 soldering locations, but our sensors are made from only one block of steel, one fiber, and two attachment points,\u201d explains Bastiaan Meulblok, System Engineer at Somni Solutions. The sensors are so durable that they can last around 30 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"somni-solutions-fiber-optic-sensor-simulation-fusion-360\"

Fiber optic sensor simulation example in Fusion 360.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Somni Solutions designed the sensors in Fusion 360 from initial CAD models to a full <\/span>FEM analysis<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWe use Fusion 360\u2019s simulation capabilities to do static and dynamic analysis to predict the sensitivity and behavior of a sensor. The stretching of the sensors\u2019 fibers is often below micrometers, so we have to be very accurate and precise in our process and measurements,\u201d says Meulblok.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"somni-solutions-fiber-optic-sensor-simulation-fusion-360\"

The second step of the above simulation example.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Somni Solutions needed to work fast in order to meet the accelerated timeline of the new bridge, and nothing is faster than working on the cloud. \u201cOne of the downsides of other modeling software is that integration onto the cloud is a very slow process, and professional licenses are extremely expensive,\u201d says Knoppers. \u201cFusion 360 is a whole different ballgame. The pricing is much more competitive, it’s much easier to add or get rid of an extra account, and you have the whole package, including cloud simulation, available at your command.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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At the end of the day, safety always comes first. Knoppers and Meulblok stress the importance of adopting fiber optic sensors as a safe structural health monitoring system for large weight-bearing structures. \u201cIf you use sensors for a structure like the Genova San Giorgio Bridge, you can do less maintenance, while still being confident that your structure is safe and in good health.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The <\/span>Genova San Giorgio Bridge<\/span><\/a> opened last month and is currently in use.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Netherlands-based company designed, engineered, and prepped the sensors for manufacturing all using Fusion 360.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4033,"featured_media":14186,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[478,406,236],"tags":[34,223],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-14183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies","category-customer-stories","category-mechanical-engineering","tag-customer-stories","tag-engineers","dhig-theme--light"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSomni Solutions Designs Fiber Optic Sensors for the Genova San Giorgio Bridge - Fusion Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how the Netherlands-based company designed and engineered fiber optic sensors for the Genova San Giorgio Bridge all using Fusion 360.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/somni-solutionsomni-solutions-fiber-optic-sensors-genova-san-giorgio-bridge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Somni Solutions Designs Fiber Optic Sensors for the Genova San Giorgio Bridge - 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