About the research
In 2018, the Morandi bridge in Genoa collapsed, killing 43 people. The culprit? Rust. To prevent tragedies like this, material scientist Vincent Vangrunderbeek (VUB - FWO) investigates how rust develops on steel surfaces. He uses rust sensors at weather stations and camera setups that capture how corrosion forms. Analyzing all this data and imagery manually would take years, so he trains AI to help process and interpret it. "If we can predict where and when rust forms, we could prevent it", as he explains.
The goal of his research is to help us move from random checks to smart, preventive maintenance of bridges and buildings.
New materials
Contact Vincent
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